pie | a whisk and a spoon

Tuesdays with Dorie: Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie (or Tart)

November 29, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 7 Comments
Tags: baking, dessert, holiday, pie

This Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie was my Thanksgiving dinner dessert (perfect timing!). Not having pumpkin pie with Turkey Day dinner would be considered absolutely unacceptable for my dad’s side of the family, and even though I didn’t head to Seattle to see them this year, I’m happy to carry on the W family tradition here. The texture of this pie was great…smooth and creamy (especially if you strain the filling into the crust). It’s actually a bit more dairy-heavy than I’m used to for pumpkin pie, but the spicing was nice.

Apparently this recipe works as either a pie or a more dainty tart. The recipe makes a substantial amount of filling, so especially if you chose to bake a tart, be prepared to have extra on your hands. And if you make a pie, you may need a deep-dish plate. (I used my seven-inch glass pie plate, which usually works perfectly for a half-recipe of deep-dish filling. I actually only made a third of the filling, and still had a smidge extra that I couldn’t fit into the crust.) You can always pour extra filling into custard cups and bake them in a water bath– pumpkin custards are yummy, too, and gluten-free guests won’t feel left out of the fun.

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also here on Serious Eats) or read Judy’s Gross Eats. And see Tracey’s Culinary Adventures for Normandy Apple Tart, this week’s other recipe (which I did make and will show you later in the week). Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Depths-of-Fall Butternut Squash Pie

November 8, 2011 at 12:01 am | Posted in groups, pies & tarts, sweet things, tuesdays with dorie | 11 Comments
Tags: baking, dessert, pie

I’ve noticed this Depths-of-Fall Butternut Squash Pie many times while flipping through the book. Or, I should say that I noticed the title and thought it sounded good. It wasn’t until this weekend that I actually read it and realized it is not a smoothly puréed, single crust pie similar to pumpkin. Nope, this is a pie with real character….lumpy and bumpy under the top crust because everything inside is chunky and retains its texture. It’s stuffed with a hearty combo of butternut squash, apples (or pears, which I didn’t have on hand), nuts and dried fruit. The filling reminded me of mincemeat pie, with its mix of fruit and spices (but sans the suet, thank goodness). The pie is slightly earthy, not too sweet, and totally great with vanilla ice cream!

For the recipe, see Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan (it’s also on The Splendid Table’s site) or read Valerie’s lovely blog, Une Gamine dans la Cuisine. And see Di’s Kitchen Notebook for Mini Madeleines, this week’s other recipe (which I did make and will show you later in the week). Don’t forget to check out the TWD Blogroll!