Pumpkin pie test run

It’s almost November, which means it’s time to start with the Thanksgiving test runs. I only have a few weeks to come up with a menu and practice recipes for this year’s Hickory House Thanksgiving. The first test run would be pumpkin pie.

I made a pie crust a few days ago, thinking that I would have time to make it earlier in the week. But, I stuck the dough in the freezer and didn’t get back to it until three days later. I hoped it would be okay. It sat in the refrigerator to defrost as Scott and I were at the neighbor’s house eating hot dogs (these were the best and fanciest hot dogs ever, purchased from Whole Foods and with noticeable flecks of fennel), drinking Coronas, and playing with their adorable dog Lulu.

When we got back, the dough felt soft enough to be rolled. I cleared off the table, dusted it with flour, and started at the ball of dough with my wine bottle rolling pin. The dough didn’t want to flatten out and it cracked all along the edges. This crust would have issues. I worked as quickly as I could and as gently as I could to try to shape this mass of dough into a circle just slightly larger than my Pyrex pie pan. I had to cut and paste bits of dough to cover up the hole and to eliminate the cracks. And, my lack of crimping abilities was quite noticeable. When the dough was set and in place in its Pyrex pan, I stuck it in the freezer. After about twenty minute, it went into the oven to partially cook and I started working on the filling.

The pie filling would be pumpkin-y goodness. I started with a can of pumpkin, brown sugar, nutmeg, dried ginger, cinnamon, and a touch of salt, and gave it all a whirl in the blender. That then got moved into a saucepan over medium heat and cooked for a few minute. I whisked in some milk and cream, and brought it to a bare simmer. Then, four eggs got their spin in the blender, and then the pumpkin and cream mixture got slowly incorporated. The pumpkin, cream, and egg mixture went into the pie pan, and then into the oven some more.

The house smelled like Thanksgiving, and I would have to wait until the next day to taste my pie (damn that cooling time). I whipped up some cream and added some sugar (which turned out to be too much sugar), sliced myself up a piece of cooled pumpkin pie, and took a fork of it to my mouth. The pumpkin filling had a creamy, custard-like consistency and texture but the amount of spice was slightly overbearing. The ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon were battling with the flavor of the pumpkin, and that triumvirate seemed to be winning.

The crust itself was flakey and crisp. However, the portion of the crust that lined the bottom of the pie was noticeably very thin, barely providing any sort of foundation for the creamy filling. The crust to filling ratio was totally off. I must have been too enthusiastic with my rolling.

Adjustments would have to be made for the real Thanksgiving pumpkin pie. And, because I wasn’t proud enough of that pie to share with other and because the pie itself wasn’t non-edible, I would have to eat the pie myself, incorporating pie into every meal.