Pumpkin Praline Pie

King Arthur

CRUST

¾ cup (2 ½ ounces) pecan meal

¼ cup sugar (1 ¾ ounces) sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 cup (4 ¼ ounces) pastry flour

½ cup (8 tablespoons, 4 ounces) cold unsalted butter

1 large egg yolk (save the white for the filling)

FILLING

¾ cup (5 5/8 ounces) brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tablespoon unbleached all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon Vietnamese cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

2 large eggs plus 1 egg white (reserved from above) lightly beaten

15-ounce can pumpkin

1 cup (8 ounces) light cream

GARNISH

¾ cup (3 ounces) chopped pecans

2 tablespoons (1/2 ounce) sticky bun sugar

Preheat the oven to 425F.

TO MAKE THE CRUST: Whisk together the pecan meal, sugar, salt, and flour. Work in the butter, then add the egg yolk, tossing to make a crumbly dough. Press the dough into a 9” pie pan. 

I'm hopeless with pie crusts so I asked my mom to help.

Cover the crust edges to prevent over-browning, then bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

TO MAKE THE FILLING: Whisk together the first 8 ingredients. Stir in eggs and egg white, then the pumpkin and cream, mixing until thoroughly combined.

Using cream instead of evaporated milk or Eagle Brand makes a wonderful difference here.

TO MAKE THE GARNISH: Toss the pecans with the sticky bun sugar.

TO ASSEMBLE THE PIE: Pour the filling into the baked crush until it comes to within ¼” of the top – you will likely have extra filling, which can be poured into ramekins to be baked separately. Bake the pie for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350F, and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven, top with the pecan garnish, then return to the oven to bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Remove from the oven, and cool to room temperature before serving.

Pictured as part of the Sills Family Thanksgiving pie spread.

Look at that beauty!

My Rating: 5/5 "So many wonderful things going on in this pie. The cream makes everything full-bodied and smooth. The topping adds pizzazz. (Note: Sticky Bun sugar isn't a thing from King Arthur. I substituted Cinnamon Sugar and it was very nice.) The pecan meal crust was especially delicate and flavorful. Yeah, you should make this for your next Fall gathering."