October Pumpkin Pie

I love Autumn! All the leaves turn color green to yellow, orange, and red, it falls all over on the ground, very beautiful and romantic to me. The pumpkin picking is also a great relaxing afternoon with family, hay ride, applesider donuts, of course you can't miss fresh make pumpkin pie. Don't even mention the excitement that dress up in custom, then trick or treat at Halloween. I feel like a kids again!

Pie dough:

1/2 cup roasted peanuts.

1/4 confection sugar.

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour.

1 large egg and 1 yolk.

4 tablespoon cold vegetable shortening diced.

2 tablespoon unsalted cold butter diced.

1/2 teaspoon salt.

Use food processor ground peanut with confection sugar well, then add flour mix again, spread vegetable shortening and butter diced evenly, add egg and yolk, cold water, pause couple time until all the ingredient "start" getting together, but not as a dough already. (dough looks partly separated, but if you grab a handful and squeezes, it will come together by itself. Also vegetable shortening and butter will show in the dough. *The key is you don't want to over mix it!)

Place all the dough in the pie pan, use measuring cup to flat the dough to sit on the bottom and make the wall on the edge with thumb on the other hand. ( The measuring cup technic will avoid the heat from finger to melt the fat from the dough.) Cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator at least 30 minutes before you bake. Dough will stay cold up to 3 days. I usually make it ahead.

* you can mix everything by hand with pastry blennder or fork, which will take a little bit more effort, but "Do keep the dough cold before you bake! Otherwise it will create the smoke and burn the crust, not a good idea.

Filling:

1.  1 sweet pumpkin as size of honeydew, take the skin off and seeded, cut in to 1 inch chunks, put I the big bowl ( microwave save) add 1/4 cup water cover with damp paper towel. Microwave 5 minutes then stir. Cover again, take other 5 minutes, total 10 minutes. It will be very easy to mash with serving tablespoon.

* I like a little texture, so I don't mash perfectly. If you like it very smooth, put it in the food processor.

2. 2 cups sweetened condensed milk.

3. 1/8 teaspoon salt.

4. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.

5. 1/8 teaspoon ground clove.

6. 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice.

7. 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg.

8. 1 teaspoon fresh ground ginger.

9. 1 egg and 1 egg yolk.

10. 1 tablespoon corn starch.


Preheat oven 325F

Move rack to the low level in the oven, bake crust 10-15 minutes until pale yellow. * Use tray to  carry hot pie easier.

Turn oven to 350F

At the same time, microwave the pumpkin and mix every things together, egg will add in the end. Pour the warm mixture into hot pie crust.

Bake other 40-45mimutes until filling set and the crust will light golden brown. Take pie out, let it cool down a bit for easy cutting. Serve it warm or room temperature is the best.