The life of a pie

The life of a pie

story and photos by January Wyatt
January 12, 2013

I have only made a few pies in my life, maybe three or four.  Pies have never been high on my list, because I am not a huge fan of pie crust.  I know that most of you are, and that’s ok J

I like pumpkin!  It’s a super food you know!? Pumpkin lowers blood sugar, fights off cancer cells, is packed with fiber and antioxidant vitamins and minerals.   I eat it often in savory recipes, usually buying canned puree.  Pumpkin is very easy to digest for dogs, if you ever have a dog with digestive issues, look into it as a supplement.  Pooh bear loved pumpkin.

We grew 3 sugar pumpkins very late in the season (planted in August) and while searching for ideas on how to prepare them, pie did not come to mind right away, but slowly a pie beyond pumpkin began to morph into existence.  I thank my Facebook friends for their suggestions and inspiration!  The end result was good enough to record and share.  Not a pumpkin pie for purists, but more like 3 pies for the price of one.  Perhaps you can help me name this pie!?

This fall I found granola crust in the baking aisle and really liked it for pear pie, which I made for a holiday gathering.  The first pie I ever made was a pear pie, for a pie supper fundraiser.  I convinced sweetie to buy it J

Anyway, back to the pie at hand…

First step is to roast the pumpkins, and I found three options online (boiling, roasting or microwaving).

I opted for roasting, because it seemed easiest and would add some warmth to the cold kitchen.

It’s vitally important to have a sharp knife when slicing open a squash, and to know how to handle said sharp knife.  There are many websites that will help here, but ‘no digits in the food’ is my motto!

Once the Squash is open remove seeds and stringy fibers.  I tried using a spoon here, but found that my  fingers worked best.  There is something very grounding about getting your hands into food preparation.  Ordinarily, I would roast the pumpkin seeds, for a treat, but we own a seed company,  www.dustbowlseed.com, and so the seeds were set aside for storage, to plant and sell.

 Next step was to scoop the flesh from the peel, which I learned just today (a wee bit late for this pie of the past) can be done perhaps more easily, by just peeling the peel off the somewhat cooled squash, while still face down on the oven sheet.  I believe that this peeling method might prove less wasteful, since scooping tends to leave some of the fruit stuck to the rind.

The third step is now to puree the flesh of the pumpkin, which called for a food processor.  I don't have one, but do have a mini processor which is great for small jobs, however it did not hold up to this one. I decided to try the vita mix, which is a miracle of a machine and it worked well with a bit of coaxing, and some added heavy cream, which is completely optional.  I'd like to try this one day with a real food processor to compare.  I am not sure I have the extra counter space, if it's not completely worth it! :)

Now, the puree is seasoned.  I chose typical pumpkin pie spices and did not measure (I don't care for measuring unless really necessary).  More cinnamon than anything else (probably a Tablespoon or so) and then a bit less nutmeg, and even less ginger and clove, and also perhaps a teaspoon of cardamom, just because I love it so, but any of these are optional, if they aren't your T. of spice!  I think the cinnamon is essential, however.  Also added here, are one large egg, and some brown sugar, which I'd guess was about 1/2  a cup. I also added about half a package (4 0z.) of cream cheese.  I'd have added an entire package if I'd had it to add!  I did allow a recipe from Betty Crocker, for pumpkin cheesecake, to guide me on possible ingredients, as well as cooking time.  I am sure there are many variations online, but this pie was mine to do with as I will.  I did not over mix these ingredients, which for me ended up being one of my favorite things about the pie.

Next, I topped the granola crust with cacao nibs.  These are new to me and I had been looking for a job for them other than just in hand.  Their presence was not overwhelming at all, but just provided a nice crunch and mysterious chocolate undertone.  A cubed, then diced gala apple was added next, just atop the crust and along side the nibs.  Puree was poured over the apple and chocolate, and a few large walnut halves were placed so there would be one per bite.

Pie in oven, temp 350f, timer set for 30 minutes, even though the recipe in Betty C. called for much longer.  My recipe had 3 fewer eggs, as well as a different sort of crust, so I just wasn't sure how long she might take.  Oven light on!  I wanted to watch this one.  I didn't write this part down, but I believe it took an hour or slightly more to set up to the toothpick test, but the pie really let us know it was ready by scent.  The nuts and sugar caramelizing in our noses. 

 If you like sweeter desserts, add more sugar to your version of this pie.  I enjoyed the first slice solo, but the next day added some freshly made elderberry jam, which was quite nice combined with the creamy texture of the pie.  I really enjoyed the large chunks of apple, but some folks might have preferred them to be a bit smaller or mixed in as an applesauce even, for the puree purists out there.  I enjoyed the big spaces of cream cheese, but again, to some it might seem half mixed, so cook to your preferences, but do consider combining the flavors of pumpkin, apple, cream cheese, chocolate and nuts.  I do think I might add more nuts, were it a do over day today.  The walnuts paired quite well with every flavor, but there was only the one per slice.  Another type of nut would work well too, such as some crushed and toasted pumpkin seeds, peanuts, or pecan.

You could easily make this recipe vegan, by omitting the egg and using chia seeds or other.  What should we name it?  It's a pie I will certainly revisit again!