Classic Pumpkin Pie

Despite my pie-adverse parentage (I don't understand them either), this is still a beloved favourite that must grace the thanksgiving table. Even though we regrettably hardly observe thanksgiving (sigh), the Pumpkin Pie has to happen. With marzipan pumpkins. 

What makes it special is both the use of homemade roasted pumpkin puree (gotta write down the process for that here sometime) and heavy cream, which is much nicer than canned pumpkin (still passable in a pinch, though) or condensed milk. It's got my favourite flaky butter pastry, lots of creaminess and spice (plus rum) and is topped with both whipped cream and marzipan. It's very easy to make, despite the length of the recipe- I just went into a lot of detail. In addition, many of the steps can be done in advance- like making the marzipan pumpkins (a week in advance in the fridge, or even more in the freezer) or the crust (also can be pre-made, frozen and thawed already in the pan for straight-to-oven convenience). 

I made two crucial mistakes in my pie, mostly due to hubris- One, I forgot to turn the heat up as high as I should have for the blind-baking, so it didn't get as flaky as I wanted. Two, I used a little too much cream, so the filling was a little too liquidy and cracked on top. Still tasted great, though.

The filling is very soft and silky, and contrasts well with the crust. There are a thousand variations of pumpkin pie I'd like to try, but this is the classic for sure. You also don't need to have ready-made pumpkin pie spice, which makes it easier- that stuff tends to sell out right around thanksgiving. Mmmmmmmmmm pie.

Here's a previous year's attempt for reference- poured in too much filling that time. It seems I just can't win.

Classic Pumpkin Pie
Adapted from Baking, by Peter Jameson

For the Crust:
1 Recipe All-star pie crust

Roll out dough and drape overtop a 9" or 10" pie pan or cake pan. Press into the pan as tightly as possible. Allow to refrigerate for about 15 minutes to relax, then trim excess dough, leaving about 1-2 cm around the edges. 

Press the edge until it just reaches over the sides of the pan, using a fork. You can also take the excess dough trimmings and roll out to cut small shapes with a cookie cutter, and overlap those around the edges. If you really can't get it to look good, don't worry- the whipped cream can be used to cover it up later on.

Poke the crust with a fork throughout and refrigerate another 15-30 minutes. Preheat oven to 200℃. 
To blind-bake, use baking parchment or aluminium foil to coat the crust and press down. Weigh it with baking stones or old inedible beans/rice- these will prevent the crust from puffing up too much. Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly golden. 
Remove the weighing insert and if too puffy in any place, push down gently with a fork. Return to oven for another 15 minutes.

For the Filling:
15 Oz. Pumpkin puree, preferably homemade
1 1/2 C. Cream, 30-35%
1 C. Light brown sugar (or a 1:1 ratio dark brown:white, or even 2:1 if you really like the brown sugar taste)
3 Eggs
1 TBSP Dark rum (optional)
1 Tsp. Vanilla extract
1 /2Tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 Tsp. Ginger
1/4 Tsp. Nutmeg
1/4 Tsp. Cloves
Pinch of cardamom
1/2 Tsp. Salt

Mix dry ingredients and set aside. Mix eggs and sugar until well combined with a whisk. Add the pumpkin puree, rum and vanilla. Whisk in the dry ingredients.

Pour the filling into the pie crust- it might be a bit too much, but you can always bake the excess in ramekins or (if you're very daring with raw eggs) eat it as-is.

Bake the filled pie for 30 minutes at 170℃, covering the crust trim with aluminium foil if it is browning too quickly, until the filling is not liquidy but still jiggles a bit when the pan is shifted- the top of the pumpkin will be browned lightly, smooth and shiny.

Let cool at least an hour before adding whipped cream.

For the Decorations:
1/2 C. Cream, 30-35%
2 TBSP Powdered sugar
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1 Tsp. Rum extract, optional

200 g. Marzipan
Red, yellow and green food colouring
about 12-14 whole cloves

Beat the cream, powder sugar and vanilla until firm peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Divide the marzipan into 150 and 50 g. Add a couple of drops each of red and yellow food colouring to the 150 g. piece and knead in. Once the right shade of orange is achieved, divide into 12-14 spheres. Use a toothpick or chopstick to lightly press "segments" into the spheres to mimic the look of a pumpkin. If it becomes too soft or oily, refrigerate for 10 minutes before continuing.

Knead a drop or two of food colouring into the 50 g. piece, until it is the right "leafy" colour. Form small ovals and press down to form leaves- press these on top of the pumpkins, indenting slightly with your finger to form a concavity. Press in a clove for the "stem". Any excess green marzipan can simply be eaten, or used to roll out thin "vines" as an additional decoration. Refrigerate until ready to use.

To assemble, fill a star-tipped pastry bag with the whipped cream and form rosettes or swirls around the edge of the (cooled!) pie. Make one rosette for each pumpkin, then place them in the centre. Keep the whole pie refrigerated until ready to eat.