The Impatient Chef Recipe: Grandma's Pumpkin Pie

Grandma's Pumpkin Pie

This, ladies and genlemen, is literally, with the exception of the crust, my grandmother's pumpkin pie recipe.

The Pie!

Ingredients:

Pumpkin Mixture:

2 Cups Cooked Pumpkin  – cooked until soft, pureed.

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Cup Brown Sugar

5 Eggs

1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon

3 Tbsp Flour

1/4 Cup Butter

1/2 Tsp Salt

1 Qt milk

16 oz Whipping Cream

I like to use Pennsylvania Dutch Crookneck Squash when I can find it in the wild west, which is exactly twice in 27 years.  Cut it, de-seed it, cube it, butter it, bake it until fork tender.  Cool.  Cut away the rind, and puree it.  Done.  You can use other pumpkins, of course.  

Pie Crust: 

10 1/2 oz All-Purpose Flour

1/4 cup Vegetable Shortening (I substituted lard)

1 1/4 tsp salt

10 tbsp unsalted butter, chilled

6 to 8 tablespoons ice cold water.  

Make the Pie Crust First.  

Which One Doesn't Fit? 

The Crust:  I used King Arthur Flour’s stand mixer recipe.  It’s very good.  

Since the pumpkin recipe makes 3 pies, you can make this recipe twice, and keep a dough ball for later. 

A note about the above picture:  The chicken is there purely for humor.  There are no chickens in the pie.

Directions: 

Cube the butter, and stow it in the freezer.  I start with refrigerated butter.  In a 1 cup measure, add ice and water.  You want 8 tablespoons of ice-cold water when the dough is ready.  

Add the flour, the shortening, and the salt to the mixer bowl.  Mix the ingredients on the 2 setting using the beater attachment.  You are trying to get an evenly crumbly mixture.  

Mixin' It Up.

When the right crumbly is achieved, add the chilled, cubed butter.  Beat on speed 2 again until the mixture is crumbly, this time unevenly (the recipe calls for dime-sized chunks of butter).   Then, add the water, one tablespoon at a time until the mixture becomes a cohesive dough ball.  The last time I made this, it only took 3.  Don’t mix it more than necessary!  For more nuance on this crust, visit the site I linked above.  

Divide the dough into two balls.   Roll them out until they’re about 3/8 inch thick.  Place them on parchment paper in the fridge.  Cool them while you mix the pumpkin ingredients.  

Rollin' Rollin' Rollin'

Once ready, roll them out, and cover the pie pans.  Pre-bake them for 10 minutes at 350º.  It’s a good idea to use parchment paper and pie marbles, or beans to weigh them down during the pre-bake.

Next, make the pumpkin mixture.  Note: the squash in the picture is not a crookneck.  Consarnit!  

The Surrealist Chef?

Simply beat all ingredients together, saving the milk and cream till last.  I use hand mixture, but an immersion blender would work as well.  

Mixin' it Up

Fill the shells with the pumpkin mixture.

Bake for 10 minutes at 450º, and then at 350º until brown on top, and a toothpick comes out clean.  

Serve.  Top with whipped cream.  

Enjoy!

The Impatient Chef.