|
Triple Delight Walnut Pumpkin Pie
Preheat oven to 350F
1 unbaked deep dish pie crust
1 egg white, slightly beaten (save your yolk to use in just a minute)
Brush you pie crust bottom and sides with the beaten egg white. Pre-bake your pie crust for about 8 minutes.
Brown Sugar Layer:
1 c. coarsely chopped walnuts
1/3 c. brown sugar, packed
1 Tbsp. orange zest
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Sprinkle your walnuts all over the bottom of the pie crust.
Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and orange zest. Sprinkle this on top of your nuts.
Pumpkin layer:
1 c. canned pumpkin
1/3 c. sugar
1 egg, plus 1 yolk
1/2 c. chopped walnuts
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
Combine, pour on top of your brown sugar layer.
Pie top layer:
2/3 c. corn syrup
1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
3 Tbsp. melted butter
1/2 tsp. maple extract (vanilla extract will be fine here)
1 c. chopped walnuts
Combine first 5 ingredients, mix well. Add walnuts; stir to mix.
Pour on top of pumpkin layer.
Bake at 350F for 50 to 60 minutes.
This pie really needs to cool and set up before you slice into it. An hour in the fridge would be great, although it is so yummy slightly warm.
My Pie:
My pie was still very warm when I cut a slice for this picture. So the slice below looks a bit ragged.
Top of the Hill Pecan Pie
The Top of the Hill Lady, my grandmother's Pecan Pie recipe. Her picture is
located on my website.
I was raised on a pecan pie with chopped pecans in the filling and a layer of pecan halves on the top. I have relatives that just encircle the entire top with a layer of pecans, so for this recipe you can really do which ever you like.
Top of the Hill 'Pecan Pie Perfection'
1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. white corn syrup (Karo)
4 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1 c. pecans, chopped
1 egg white, beaten (for brushing pie crust)
pecan halves for decoration, optional
1 unbaked 9-inch pie crust
Preheat oven to 325F.
Brush pie crust with beaten egg white and bake 5 minutes to seal crust and remove from oven and set aside.
Measure 1 cup pecans, then chop them. Set aside.
In a saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and corn syrup. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until sugar is dissolved, letting it slowly boil down just a little bit. Now cool your pie. Don't put it in the fridge. Cook at room temperature. It doesn't need to cool to quickly!
Add eggs, vanilla extract, and salt; blend well. After the eggs are added, mix vigorously with a fork or wooden spoon, do not use a whisk or mixer. It is the holidays, everyone needs the exercise anyway, right? LOL !!
Place your chopped pecans on the bottom of your pie crust and pour filling mixture into pie crust.
If you are using pecan halves for decoration, now is the time to lay the pecan haves in circles on top of filling.
***You may opt to omit the chopped pecans and only use a layer of pecans on top. All personal taste here. But I use both.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Do not over bake!
Trouble Shooting a Pecan Pie
1. Pecan pies aren’t going to turn out great or set up if the egg and sugar amounts aren't in good harmony. Those two ingredients are the reason they set up for you. Eggs are so important, I use at least 4 eggs in my pecan pie filling.
2. You will have better results if your recipe calls for a filling that is cooked and cooked slowly. That is to cook your eggs and sugar. You want to cook this very slowly, without stirring. So increasing the amount of eggs in your fill will help with your pie not being runny. I bet your recipe calls for large eggs, switch to jumbo, this will help.
3. Your oven temperature plays a big part. Never cook a pecan pie for a longer amount of time at an oven set on a low temperature. This won’t work. The pie just won’t set properly.
Foam can be an enemy to a pecan pie filling.
Try not to create any. After you have cooked your filling, skim off any foam that is there before pouring your filling into your pie crust. Never over mix your filling. This is only going to create that foam.
Never use a metal whisk or fork to stir your filling as it is cooking. Use a wooden spoon or something such as a spatula. Whisks and forks create bubbles and thus foam.
A little outside help for you pie
If you bake your pie too long, you will end up with a pie that has the texture of scrambled eggs, in other words a filling that is curdled or what professional chefs all 'brains'. If your filling starts to puff up, it has cooked too long. So baking too long, or baking your pie in an oven where the temperature is too high can cause this to happen to your pie filling.
Curdling:
Cooking your filling before placing it in the crust helps prevent curdling. You need the liquid to cook down a little before adding the filling to your pie crust, if not while your pie is baking, the liquid evaporates and the sugar mixed with the eggs will cause them to curdle as this normal evaporation takes place. By cooking the filling first, you are controlling evaporation while the syrup boils down and thickens. You can also cut down on the fat used and add a little cornstarch to thicken your filling. The cornstarch thickens your filling a little and gives your filling the stability it needs. The cornstarch helps to prevent the eggs from curdling.
If curdling is a special problem for you, pecan pies made using brown sugar and corn syrup are less likely to curdle than pecan pies made without those two ingredients. You can use brown sugar for all or part of the sugar called for in your recipe. So using brown sugar, corn syrup and cooking your filling before adding it to the pie shell will really help your pecan pie not to curdle as it bakes.
To add the cornstarch, just heat 1 Tbsp. cornstarch with 1/3 cup water in a small pan, and set it aside. Once the corn syrup and brown sugar have dissolved, and you have added your eggs and the remain ingredients to your corn syrup mixture, then add your cornstarch mixture and thoroughly combine.
Toasting the Chopped Pecans
Most of the time I toast my chopped pecans. Whether I am just placing them in my pie shell before the filling is poured on, or if I am just adding them to the filling itself, the toasted pecans just add depth of flavor to the pie.
Pecan Pie Pudding
1 c. dark corn syrup
1/2 c. granualted sugar
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 c. AP flour
1/8 tsp. cram of tartar
1 c. chopped pecans
sifted powdered sugar
In small mixer bowl, beat eggs at high speed till thick and lemon colored, about 5 minutes. Add corn syrup, sugar, butter, and vanilla. Mix well. Sstir together flour and cream of tartar; fold into egg mixture. Stir in half the pecans. Pour into greased 10x6x2-inch baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 c. pecans on top. Bake at 372F for 30-35 minutes or until done.
Serve with sifted powdered sugar on top.
Impossible Pie
2 c. milk
3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
4 eggs
1/2 stick margarine or butter
1 Tbsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
Place milk, sugar, flour, butter, eggs and vanilla in blender for 30 seconds.
Pour into a 9-inch pie pan. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Bake for 45 minutes.
So Delicious !
|
