In the kitchen with Elisa
Pumpkin Pie
Super creamy and flavourful pie with a crunchy pecan nut crust
Creamy dreamy with a hint of caramel :)
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This ​recipe brought so many mixed emotions to me.. I had a request from a subscriber to make a pumpkin pie. I always get really excited about any recipe requests and this one was not an exception. However, since I had no experience with this kind of pie and I had never had any myself, it was going to be interesting :) So I sat down and did quite some research and checked out many recipes from other bakers and bloggers. I got the idea, but I wanted to put my own twist to it.
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The first thing that I concentrated on was the pie crust. Since my guess was that many might be used to buying the ready made crust rather than making their own, I needed something to make it interesting and worth the time spent on it :) When it comes to autumn recipes, I love using pecan nuts. I don´t know why, but somehow in my mind they just fit so well with so many autumnal products. Then the wild thought was born, I would use some pecan nuts for the crust :) Will it work? Or will they just fall out of the crust and leave holes in it? I didn´t know, but I wanted to try and make it.
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The next thing was the pumpkin puree, which I was going to make pretty traditional and not go crazy on it. I had my own Pumpkin Pie Spice mix which would make it special. But you know, that would just not be me :D So while getting the ingredients for the filling I thought why would I use regular condensed milk when I can use dulce de leche and add some beautiful caramel flavour to the pie? :) That must have been my best decision for this pie! It made the filling so yummy! :) And it made my boyfriend make the pie disappear so quick I was not even sure I made it :D​
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Does it taste like the traditional pumpkin pie? Well, I wouldn´t know as I have never tried it. But what I do know and what I can tell you, is that this pumpkin pie will leave everyone asking for seconds :) Also once you make it once, it will be your go to pumpkin pie recipe for the rest of your life :) Yes, that is how delicious it is :)
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Happy Baking Lovelies!
Step by Step Video
RECIPE
Pumpkin Pie
Super creamy and flavourful pie with a crunchy pecan nut crust
​INGREDIENTS
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200g butter
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2tsp sugar
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pinch of salt
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300g flour
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80g pecan nuts
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100-150ml ice cold water
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500g pumpkin puree
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3 eggs (6 egg yolks)
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1 can (400g) dulce de leche or condensed milk
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1tsp pumpkin spice (recipe available here)
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1-2tbsp flour
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DIRECTIONS
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If you want to make your own pumpkin puree, you will need a medium sized red kuri squash (hokkaido pumpkin) or any other pumpkin. Wash the pumpkin well, peel it, half, remove the seeds and the pulp, and cube into small cubes. Transfer the pumpkin pieces into an oven proof dish, cover with aluminium foil and bake in 200°C degrees for 1-1.5 hours or until the pumpkin pieces are very soft. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. I prepared the pumpkin a day before and stored it in the fridge.
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Chop the pecan nuts on a chopping board with a knife until you have a small crumb. (See video)
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To make the pie crust you will need cold butter and ice cold water. To make ice cold water, measure the water in a measuring jug and add some ice cubes to it. Add cold butter, sugar, salt and flour to a medium bowl. Start combining the ingredients using a pastry blender or a fork. Once you have crumble like pieces start adding water a little at a time and continue mixing until combined. Once the dough almost comes together add the chopped pecan nuts and mix until just combined. Wrap the dough in cling film and refrigerate for a minimum of 2-3 hours or preferably over night.
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Roll out the cold dough on a parchment paper with a little flour. Make sure to roll out the dough evenly on all sides. I use a 23cm (5cm high) pie dish and rolled out the dough to 30cm on all sides. You can use a bigger pie dish, up to 25cm, then you want to roll out the dough to 35cm on all sides. Butter your pie dish well and carefully lift the dough into the pie dish, pressing it softly to fit the form. Press the dough into the dish from the bottom to the sides and form the edges with your finger tips. (See video) Pierce the bottom of the pie crust with a fork. Place a parchment paper over the dough and carefully cover the dough from all sides with it. Add pie weights over the parchment paper. Blind bake the crust in 180°C bottom top heat at the middle shelf of the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven, remove the weights and the parchment paper and bake for another 10-15 minutes until the crust starts to get golden and the bottom is not wet from butter any more. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack before filling the pie.
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If you are making the pumpkin puree from scratch, start by pureeing the pumpkin pieces you baked in the oven with an immersion blender. If the puree looks really dry, add boiling water to it just as much as needed to get it to puree smoothly. Add the pumpkin puree to a medium bowl.
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In a separate bowl whisk the eggs shortly and then add to the pumpkin puree. Add the dulce de leche, the pumpkin pie spice and flour. Mix with a fork until you have a smooth puree. If you cannot get it smooth, you can shortly pulse the filling with an immersion blender.
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Pour the filling over the cooled crust and bake the pumpkin pie in 180°C bottom top heat in the middle shelf of the oven for 50-60 minutes until the pie starts to set but the middle is still a little shaky. Turn off the oven, open the oven door slightly and leave the pie for another 20 minutes in the oven. Then remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on a cooling rack before cooling further in the fridge.
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Serve cold next day with some whipped cream, sour cream or greek yogurt on top.
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TIP. You can use store bought canned pumpkin puree for this recipe if you wish. If the pumpkin puree is really runny and not thick (check the video to see how mine was) then you want to add a couple extra tablespoons of flour to help it thicken up while baking.
TIP. If using condensed milk instead of dulce de leche the filling will be more runny and you would want to add a couple extra tablespoons of flour to help it thicken up while baking.
