Mile-High Pumpkin-Pecan Pie

It's nearing Thanksgiving and last week I started going through recipes trying to decide what to make for our family dinner. My first instinct is to bake at least 6 desserts... but since I have to travel the day before Thanksgiving this year I needed to find some recipes that I could make at least 2 days in advance and would travel well AND I wanted to make sure everyone has something they like.

 

My youngest sister loves pumpkin pie. My second youngest sister (I have 3) loves pecan pie. And they are both teeny tiny skinny little things... not fair!! ;) I don't want to make 5 pies, so I saw this recipe on Martha Stewart's webste and decided that if I could combine the best of both worlds then I'd pretty much hit the jackpot.

 

The crust on this was super simple to make (one of the few times I've actually make a dough pie crust and not fudged it up)! Do watch it closely in the oven though because those edges brown up pretty dang quick.

 

I wasn't satisfied with just cinnamon and nutmeg in the filling so I added a few more! Also, the recipe calls for 1-2 cups of pecan halves... now, I bought a 10 ounce package (2 1/2 cups) and I only used about a 1/4 of it. The remainder went into another cake ;)

 

All in all, huge success. I'm definitely adding this one to the holiday repertoire!! Oh, side note and lesson learned the hard way: this pie is rich, so start with a very small piece! My piece was maybe 1/12 of the pie and I ate every bit of it.... way too much for this lady (and that's saying a lot)

 

picture from marthastewart.com, but this is almost exactly what mine looked like, true to form ;)
 
 

Mile-High Pumpkin-Pecan Pie
Prep time: 30 min                     
Total time: 2 1/2 - 3 hours

For the Crust

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fine salt
2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

For the Filling

1 1/4  cups light-brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
4 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 can (29 ounces) pure pumpkin puree
1 can (12 ounces) evaporated milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1-2 cups pecan halves

 

Directions

1.   Make the crust: In a food processor, pulse flour, granulated sugar, and salt until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Add 1/4 cup ice water in a steady stream, pulsing until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (if necessary, add up to 1/4 cup more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, 1 hour (or up to 2 days).

 

2.  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough just over 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, adjusting dough as needed to fit flat against bottom and sides. Trim dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch overhang (reserve scraps); freeze 15 minutes. Line dough with a double layer of parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on a rimmed baking sheet 30 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights; use reserved scraps to patch any holes in crust. Bake until deep golden, 30 minutes; cover edge with foil if overbrowning.

3.  Meanwhile, make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and nutmeg. Whisk in eggs, then pumpkin, until smooth. Slowly whisk in milk, cream, and vanilla. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. With edge covered with foil, pour all but 1 cup filling into crust, return to oven, and carefully add remaining cup filling; bake 1 hour. Remove pie from oven and top with pecans. Bake until filling is just set but slightly wobbly in center, 20 to 25 minutes more. Let cool completely on a wire rack, about 3 hours. With a serrated knife, cut off overhang and unmold.

 

(recipe adapted from: Martha Stewart)