I love all of the traditional foods that come with Thanksgiving, especially the pies. But I’ve been noodling some notions on how to create the traditional pies with a few little twists, just to keep the presentation fresh this year.
Part of the inspiration for the first “pie” was to put an end to that pesky question “pumpkin, or pecan?”, because of course, we all want both. By baking the pecan pie filling in a fresh pumpkin shell you get both, and it’s naturally gluten free. While it’s baking, the sweet pecan pie filling oozes down into the pumpkin flesh imparting it with that wonderfully rich, boozy caramel flavor.
To make it I cut the top off of the pumpkin and hollowed it out,
cutting away enough of the shell so that a crispy top crust could form with the pecans while baking.
I can’t think of an easier or prettier pie crust, and mellow flavor and texture of the pumpkin was a perfect complement to the rich goodness of the pecan pie filling.
My recipe {at the bottom of the post} was adapted from this Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie recipe I found in my search to make a Pecan pie without using corn syrup. The filling is easy to whip up and it’s truly the most splendid Pecan Pie I have ever tasted. The original recipe offers a unique twist as well. The pie is baked and served in a cast iron skillet, which makes for a wonderfully homey, rustic presentation.
In this recipe a store bought pie crust is used but they sprinkled it with powdered sugar to make it taste more like a homemade crust.
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| Utterly Deadly Pecan Pie Recipe |
When it comes to pumpkin pie, it’s hard to beat the original, but I thought it could be interesting to play around with the “look” just a little a bit.
Pâte Brisée is the French name for the simple fool~proof pie crust I use, click on the name to find the recipe from Martha Stewart. The Pâte Brisée can be made days in advance and stored in the refrigerator, flattened and ready to be rolled. For a more French presentation, I wanted to create pumpkin tarts in these rectangular shaped tart pans. I pressed out the dough in this shape before chilling it so I could easily roll it out to fit in into these rectangular false bottom tart molds when I was ready to bake.
I love the elegant presentation of this shape of tart, and the clean looking rectangular pieces it yields, which I think are easier to serve as well.
I used this classic recipe from Libby’s for the filling, but I was a little more generous on the spice quantities and added 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg to the mix.
We had “adults only” over the other night, so I also made a few little pies in these oven proof paper baking trays, so parents could take pies home to their little ones {doesn’t everyone love pumpkin pie for breakfast?}.
For my gluten~free guest I poured the pumpkin custard into ramekins and small Weck canning jars and cooked them in the oven in a Bain~marie, or water bath until they were cooked through.
While these were delicious topped with fresh whipped cream, it occurred to me later that they’d be even better if topped with sugar and then put under the broiler or torched to make a crunchy candy crust a la Creme Brûlée.
Pecan Pie baked in a Pumpkin
{adapted from the Utterly Deadly Southern Pecan Pie recipe}
please note: though the prep time for this pie is minimal, it takes a few hours to bake, so you may want to make it the day before or in the morning if you are preparing it for dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 small pumpkin, approximately 5 pounds
- 4 large eggs
- 1 1/2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1 Tablespoon bourbon or rum {or vanilla extract}
- 1/2 cups pecan halves
- Preparation
- Preheat oven to 325°.
- Whisk eggs in a large bowl until foamy; whisk in brown sugar and next 6 ingredients. Pour mixture into pumpkin, and top with pecan halves.
- Please note: Recommending a baking time for this one is a little tricky, since each pumpkin will be different in size and thickness. Please use this as a guideline, but check your pie along the way:
- Bake at 325° for 30 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 300°, and bake 90 more minutes. Turn oven off, and let pie stand in oven, with door closed, for up to 3 hours.
- Check for doneness every hour. The filling should be firm and cooked through and the pumpkin should be soft.
Do you need another side dish?
*Of course that first pie recipe was also inspired by my autumn obsession with this recipe, Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good by Dorie Greenspan. You could make her recipe as is or without the the bacon if you need a vegetarian side dish. When I made it on Halloween {photo below} I added a few cups of baby spinach leaves and a chopped tomato to the recipe.
But, any stuffing would work, so if you need to bake more stuffing that your turkey will hold, why not do it in a pumpkin? It will make a much prettier presentation than any casserole dish,
and that’s one less dish to wash.
I’d love to hear what is cooking in your kitchen this year, please click on comments, below, to let me know what wondrous smells are coming out of your kitchen. If these posts are delivered to you inbox, click Splendid Market below and then scroll down to “COMMENTS” to share.
I am always thankful for all of you who read my blog and for your kind comments and support.
Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving!
Emily, these all look amazing! I'm getting hungry just looking at your photos. We will be celebrating "WACsgiving" this year – a bit easier with my parents who we'll be driving up from Tacoma. And then off to Whidbey for the weekend, so nothing cooking in my kitchen this week. But it will be Christmas baking season soon enough so I'm enjoying the rest. Have a fun sun-filled Thanksgiving! XO
Wow, Emily. That looks amazing. Not sure I could ever pull this off, but so wishing I had a slice of yours right now with my morning coffee!!
Hi Emily,
I love the Pumpkin shell presentation, also the rectangle tart pan! Pie is the best part of the holiday dinner!
Happy Thanksgiving!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
Hi Emily, This is such a great idea and looks so good! I am considering an Apple Cranberry Tart, although I haven't fully committed;) so depending on how the day goes (I have to work for a few hours today) I may decide to try this. I am a huge fan of pecan pie and would enjoy any of the recipes you posted today.
Enjoy the long weekend with your family. Happy Thanksgiving!
xxleslie
Wow, this looks amazing! What a delicious idea! Thank you for the inspiration! 🙂
Feel free to visit my blog as well! You will find topics such as health, self-image, personal growth and motivation between others! <3
Diana
http://www.ManhattanImageandStyle.com
New Blog Post: Count & Share Your Blessings This Season
Wanted to pop in to say hi and a warn and happy Thanksgiving to you!!