Pumpkin Cream Cheese Pie Recipe
I should be posting about another Cookbook of the Month recipe from this month's book - Candymaking - but I don't have another recipe to share!! This last week has been busy and lazy at the same time. When I haven't been busy, I've just wanted to take it easy. I did set out to make some chocolates yesterday, but because I still haven't bought a new candy thermometer, I ended up overcooking the centers, and instead of starting over, I just gave up. I think I just wasn't in the mood. So no candy recipes today, but instead, I bring you a pie!
This Christmas was a little different for me. We had the big meal on Christmas Eve at my in-laws, and Christmas day was really low key. Growing up, it was never like this. My mom's birthday is on Christmas Eve, so we always had a birthday celebration for her on her birthday, and Christmas was the big day. So celebrating on Christmas Eve this year was a bit different. Although I did love the low key Christmas. We mostly just hung out at home - just the two of us - and played with our new Christmas gifts. Whenever we have a big meal at my in-laws, I am usually given free reign as to what I want to bring. This year, my mother-in-law wasn't making any pies, so I decided to go the pie route since Christmas isn't Christmas without pies!!
I started looking through some of my new cookbooks for inspiration, but nothing was clicking for me. There were all kinds of inventive, "new" desserts, but nothing felt right. So I went to one of my older cookbooks - the Better Homes and Gardens New Baking Book. And here I found two pies that sounded perfect (or a pie and a tart!). This is the first of the recipes - a pumpkin-cream cheese pie. (I'll post about the tart later). I have been seeing recipes for pumpkin-cream cheese pies for years, but have never tried one. This seemed perfect because I had the traditional pumpkin pie, but with a little twist to it.
I started out that morning with the crust. I had thought about trying a different crust recipe, but decided to stick with the crust I've been using for years. But the only problem was that I couldn't find my recipe card with the recipe!! So instead of calling my mom for the recipe, I went to a family cookbook that I have, and found my Grandma's recipe. It sounded similar - at least the ingredients were, but I wasn't sure about the quantities of the ingredients. I figured that Grandma would never lead me astray, so I went with it. I don't know what happened, but this was the worst pie crust that I have ever worked with. The original recipe made 4 crusts, so I did cut it in half, and maybe that was my problem. The dough seemed quite soft when I first made it, before refrigerating it for a few hours, but I figured it would firm up a bit after the chilling time. But when I went to roll it out (using 2 sheets of waxed paper), it was still pretty sticky. I attempted to put it into my pie plate, but it stuck too badly to the waxed paper. I have worked with some bad pie crusts before, but I have never had to re-roll a crust. But I had no other option this time. I put the dough in the freezer for a few minutes to let it chill a bit more, and then tried to roll it out without the waxed paper. It rolled out fine, but when I went to put it in the pie dish, it completely tore in into pieces. I was really frustrated by this point, and I didn't have enough time to start over with another recipe. So I just put it in the dish and tried to press the edges together and I crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.
Good thing the filling went a lot smoother. A cream cheese layer is put on the bottom of the crust, then refrigerated for 30 minutes. Then a pumpkin mixture is poured over the top, followed by a pecan-crumb topping after it is partially baked. In true Deborah-fashion, I doubled the crumb topping, because I like the crumb toppings!! Back into the oven it went. I mis-read the recipe, thinking it only had to be in the oven for 25 minutes before adding the crumb topping and cooking for an additional 10-15 minutes. Mine was not done at this point, and I ended up keeping it in the oven an additional 30 minutes. Well, reading through the recipe now, I see that it was supposed to bake 25 minutes with the crust edges covered, then an additional 25 minutes uncovered before adding the topping. That would make sense!! Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the inside of the pie. We were so full after dinner that we almost didn't even eat any dessert. We ended up taking a piece of this pie and my other tart to-go, so I did get to sample them later. I had a bite of this at home that night, and it was still a little warm. I tried it again the next morning, after it had been in the fridge all night, and I preferred it chilled. My mother-in-law said that she really liked it warm with a bit of whipped cream on top. Either way, it was really good. The crust was definitely not the best, but hopefully the filling was good enough so that everyone overlooked the bad crust!!
By Deborah
Pumpkin-Cream Cheese Pie
adapted from The New Baking Book
Ingredients:
- 1 single pie crust
- 1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 slightly beaten egg
- 1 1/4 cups canned pumpkin
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 2 beaten eggs
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons cold butter
Directions:
Prepare and roll out pie crust. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the pastry. Trim and crimp edge as desired; set aside.
In small mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, the vanilla, and 1 beaten egg with electric mixer on low to medium speed until smooth. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate.
Preheat oven to 350F.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, the 2 eggs, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg. Carefully pour over cream-cheese mixture.
To prevent overbrowning, cover edge of the pie with foil. Bake in a 350F oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil. Bake for 25 minutes more.
Meanwhile, combine the flour, brown sugar and butter. Cut with a pastry cutter until crumbly. Stir in pecans. Sprinkle over the pie. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes more, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 1 to 2 hours. Refrigerate within 2 hours.
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