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  • Basic Pumpkin Pie

    Serves 8
    Use your pie pumpkin to make a good old, traditional pumpkin pie!

     

    Ingredients

    • 2 cups fresh pumpkin puree (cut pumpkin in half, bake 'til soft, scoop out flesh and puree in a food processor)
    • 1 tablespoon crystallized ginger
    • 1 1/4 cups half-and-half
    • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 2/3 cup (packed) light-brown sugar
    • 3 large eggs, lightly beaten
    • 2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
    • 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper
    • 1 9 inch pie shell, chilled
    • Sweetened whipped cream (optional)



    Preparation
    1. Preheat the oven to 425°F.
    2. Process the pumpkin puree in a blender with the ginger and half-and-half until the ginger is smooth, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; whisk in the next eight ingredients until well blended. Reserve.
    3.Place 2 sheets of heavy-duty foil, one on top of the other, directly on the surface of the pie crust. Bake the crust in the lower 2/3 of the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Remove the foil; bake 5 minutes more. Remove shell from oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
    4.Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake until a knife inserted into the center of the pie comes out clean, about 45 to 60 minutes. Cool on a rack. Serve dolloped with sweetened whipped cream, if desired.

  • Pumpkin Sandwich Cake

    I baked my Sunshine Winter Squash as Zoe suggested to make Raviolis with brown butter  and hazelnut sauce. Since I had extra squash left, I substitued the squash for pumpkin in this recipe. If you like pumpkin and think anything is better with a little chocolate, you will like this recipe.
     

     

     
     

     

    • 3/4  cup all-purpose flour
    • 1-1/2  tsp. pumpkin pie spice
    • 1  tsp. baking powder
    • 1/4  tsp. salt
    • 3  eggs
    • 1  cup granulated sugar
    • 3/4  cup canned pumpkin
    • 1/2  cup whipping cream
    • 1/2  of an 8-oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened
    • 1/2  cup powdered sugar
    • 1  Recipe Chocolate Cream Icing, below
    •   Pumpkin pie spice

    Directions
    1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Grease bottoms and sides of two 8x1-1/2-inch round cake pans. Line bottoms with waxed paper; lightly flour pans. In bowl combine flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, and salt; set aside.
    2. In a second bowl beat eggs and sugar with an electric mixer on medium to high speed until thick, about 5 minutes. Beat in pumpkin. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Spread cake batter in prepared pans. Bake 16 to 18 minutes or until wooden pick inserted near centers come out clean. Cool in pans on wire rack 10 minutes; remove and cool thoroughly.
    3. For filling, in a chilled mixing bowl beat whipping cream to soft peaks; set aside. In a second mixing bowl beat cream cheese until smooth; beat in powdered sugar. Fold in whipped cream. To assemble, place one cake layer on serving platter. Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over bottom cake layer. Top with second cake layer. Refrigerate while preparing Chocolate Cream Icing.
    4. If Chocolate Cream icing is too thin, cover and chill 30 minutes until of spreading consistency. Too thick, add a teaspoon of milk or cream. Spread over top and sides of cake. Sprinkle lightly with pumpkin pie spice. Chill cake at least 1 hour before serving.
    5. Store cake, loosely covered, in refrigerator. Makes 8 servings.
    6. Chocolate Cream Icing: In small saucepan bring 1/2 cup whipping cream just to boiling over medium-high heat. Remove from heat. Pour over 1 cup bittersweet or semisweet chocolate pieces in medium bowl (do not stir). Let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Cool 15 minutes. Makes 1-1/4 cups.
     
    Recipe from Better Homes and Gardens Magazine, http://www.bhg.com/recipe/layer-cakes/pumpkin-sandwich-cake/

     

  • Pumpkin Pecan Pie with Whiskey Butter Sauce

    Makes one 9-inch pie, inspired by a recipe from New Tastes from Texas
    Pie Crust

    • 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/2 cup butter (1 stick), frozen
    • 3 to 4 tablespoons cold water

    Pumpkin Filling

    • 1 cup cooked pumpkin purée
    • 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
    • 2 tablespoons sugar
    • 1 large egg, beaten until frothy
    • 1 tablespoon heavy cream
    • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • 1/4 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    • Pinch of ground allspice
    • Pinch of ground nutmeg

    Pecan Syrup

    • 3/4 cup sugar
    • 3/4 cup dark corn syrup
    • 2 small eggs
    • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
    • 1 pinch salt
    • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
    • 3/4 cup pecan pieces

    Whiskey Butter Sauce

    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)
    • 1/3 cup sugar
    • 1 large egg
    • 1/2 tablespoon very hot water
    • 1/4 cup heavy cream
    • 1/4 cup bourbon whiskey

     
    Preparation
    Pie Crust
    Combine the flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Using a cheese grater, grate the frozen butter in and incorporate with your fingertips until the mixture resembles very coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle the water over the flour mixture in tablespoon increments, stirring continuously with a fork. Form the dough into a ball and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour.
    Pumpkin Filling
    Preheat oven to 375. Cut your pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds, and bake cut-side-down until soft. Scoop out flesh and mash or puree in a food processor or blender. Note: you will probably have plenty of pumpkin for more than one pie. If so, you can freeze the puree in freezer safe containers for later use.
     
    Combine all the filling ingredients thoroughly in a medium bowl; set aside.
    Pecan Syrup
    Combine all the ingredients thoroughly in a medium bowl; set aside.
    Assembly
    Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a pie pan.
    Roll out the dough on a lightly floured work surface to 3/16 inch. Carefully place the dough in the greased pan. Press firmly in place and trim the edges. Chill for 15 minutes in the freezer.
    Spoon the Pumpkin Filling into the pan, spreading evenly to distribute. Gently pour the Pecan Syrup on top. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Cool and serve with Whiskey Butter Sauce, or good old whipped cream.
    Whiskey Butter Sauce
    Melt the butter in the top of a double boiler set over gently simmering water.
    Beat the sugar and egg in a small bowl until blended. Stir the egg mixture into the butter. Add the hot water and stir until the mixture coats the back of a spoon, about 7 minutes. Remove from the double boiler and let cool to room temperature. Stir in the cream and whiskey.