Mile High Pumpkin Pecan Pie

…Or, as I like to think of it, the pumpkin pie to end all pumpkin pies! When I first saw this recipe, I thought it was the best of all possible worlds: the creamy richness of pumpkin with the added crunch of pecan. I ripped that page right out of the magazine and set it aside for Thanksgiving. I can’t even remember the last time I made a pie (I have come to rely on my friend Steve’s expert help!), but Thanksgiving doesn’t seem right to me without pumpkin pie and apple pie. Oh yes, I need them both. It seemed silly to make two pies for two people, so I decided to stick with this one. It definitely delivered the Thanksgiving punch, and I am really proud of how nicely it turned out!

Also, it is giant. It is baked in a Springform pan, so it’s as tall as a cheesecake, and really heavy when you’re trying to heft it out of the fridge! I miraculously didn’t have any trouble with the pastry, which was kind of a first. I triumphantly texted Steve to let him know of my victory! You were supposed to leave some overhang on the pan to keep the pastry from shrinking while baking, and that worked very well.

In fact, the whole thing gave me very little trouble. Five stars! And also five stars for flavor. The level of spice was absolutely perfect.

I would love to make this pie again for a big crowd, but I’m not sorry I have leftovers either. We’ve already got our tree up and decorated, and I’m listening to Charlie Brown Christmas music as I type this, but there is still quite a bit of Thanksgiving in my fridge, and that makes me happy.

Mile High Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Recipe from Martha Stewart

For The Crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), 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
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

-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).
-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.
-Meanwhile, make filling: In a large bowl, whisk together brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, 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.

Pumpkin Fondue

Given my great love for pumpkins (and cheese!), it should come as no surprise that this is one of my fall obsessions. I make it every year. And it all began with my undergraduate advisor, who came to give a talk at Berkeley about five years ago. We were having coffee and discussing our various pursuits, scholarly and otherwise, and he mentioned this thing  to me, this pumpkin thing: “Well, you gut a pumpkin and then you fill it with bread and cheese and cream and then you bake it. Pumpkin fondue!” I looked it up as soon as I got home, and now it is a fall staple around here.

The wonderful part is that when you scoop out the bread and cheese, you get a nice chunk of pumpkin with it. It is glorious. The cheeses are Gruyere and Emmentaler, both favorites of mine.

Also, they look pretty gorgeous just out of the oven. You expect your academic advisor to lead you through the pratfalls of studying twentieth-century poetry, but but when he also leads you to your new favorite fall dinner, you know you’ve got a real gem.

Pumpkin Fondue
Recipe from Gourmet

1 (15-inch) piece of baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (7 oz total)
1 (7-lb) orange pumpkin (I use sugar or pie pumpkins, and it’s hard to find a 7-pound one, so I usually buy two 3-4-pound ones)
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (6 oz)
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Emmental (6 oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil

-Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.
-Toast baguette slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet in oven until tops are crisp (bread will still be pale), about 7 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
-Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle (3 inches in diameter) around stem with a small sharp knife. Scrape out seeds and any loose fibers from inside pumpkin with a spoon (including top of pumpkin; reserve seeds for another use if desired). Season inside of pumpkin with 1/2 tsp salt.
-Whisk together cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl. Mix together cheeses in another bowl.
-Put a layer of toasted bread in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with about 1 cup cheese and about 1/2 cup cream mixture. Continue layering bread, cheese, and cream mixture until pumpkin is filled to about 1/2 inch from top, using all of cream mixture. (You may have some bread and cheese left over.)
-Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roasting pan. Brush outside of pumpkin all over with olive oil. Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Pumpkin can be filled 2 hours before baking and chilled.