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Culinary Tip of the
Week: Thanksgiving Pies
Pear and Pumpkin Pie with Caramelized Pumpkin
Seeds
Pastry dough
1¼ cups flour
3 oz. unsalted butter cut in 1-inches pieces
2 TBS cold lard
¼ tsp. salt
2-4 TBS ice water
In a food processor pulse together the flour, butter, lard, and salt until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add 2 TBS ice water and pulse until water is incorporated. Add more of the remaining ice water until the dough comes together in a ball. Remove shape into a flat disk, lightly dust with flour and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill one hour.
To Poach Pears:
1 TBS allspice berries
½ vanilla bean
Grated zest (no pith) of 2 lemons
4 cups dry red wine
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
3 firm Bosc pears, peeled
In a large non-reactive pot combine all ingredients except pears, bring to a boil and simmer until all sugar is dissolved. Add pears and simmer, covered for 20 minutes or until tender yet firm. Remove from heat and let stand covered, turning pears from time to time, 30 minutes. Remove pears, reserve poaching liquid, and cut pears in half lengthwise. With a paring knife remove stem and core, cut pears lengthwise into ¼-inch slices.
Roll out dough 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch (1 quart capacity) pie plate and trim edge, leaving a ½-inch overhang. Cut edge of dough every ½-inch with a scissors to form curved points and brush edge lightly with egg wash. Chill on a sheet for 30 minutes.
Caramelized pumpkin seeds
2 TBS pumpkin seed oil or vegetable oil
1 cup salted pumpkin seeds, about 4½ oz.
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. ground allspice
¼ tsp. ground ginger
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup sugar
¼ cup orange juice
¼ cup water
Preheat oven to 370˚F.
Mix the seeds with the oil and spices and bake the seeds 10 minutes or until golden. In a saucepan, mix the sugar, orange juice, and water and bring to the caramel stage. Remove from the heat and stir in the pumpkin seeds. Pour onto a buttered cookie sheet and immediately separate the seeds with two forks. Remove to a rack to cool.
3 large eggs
¾ cup heavy cream
1½ cups canned solid pumpkin
½ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
¾ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground allspice
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
To make the filling:
In a large bowl whisk together filling ingredients and pour into prepared pie shell. Bake in the middle of preheated 375˚F oven for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool.
Arrange pears in center of pie to create a flower. Reduce the reserved wine poaching liquid until thickened and syrupy and brush the pears with the syrup. Arrange the caramelized seeds in the center of the flower and between each point of the crust.