Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie- Updated

Delicious Pumpkin Pie 

This past weekend, it was cold and cloudy.  I wanted the house to smell like cinnamon and pumpkin so I made this delicious pie!  I played around with the traditional recipe by adding mascarpone cheese, egg yolks, and extra cinnamon and ginger.  Too bad you weren't here for dessert--it was great!

The best part of pie is the crust.  This one is made with all butter and it rolls out like a dream.  The secret to flaky crust is the pockets of butter that remain when you roll out the dough.  Fit the rolled out dough into a 9" pie plate.  Brush the inside of crust with a slightly beaten egg white.  It will keep the crust from getting soggy.

Mix the Mascarpone, sugar, salt until incorporated.  Add the pumpkin puree and spices. In a separate bowl, mix the egg, egg
 yolks, heavy cream, melted butter and vanilla.  Add to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until the ingredients are smooth. Pour into the pie crust and sprinkle with nutmeg.  Bake at 375 for 45 minutes.  Cover crust if it gets too brown.  Let the pie cool completely before cutting.  Serve with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream.




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yield: ~8-10 servings. prep time: ~1  hour 30 minutes  difficulty: easy

Ingredients Pie Filling:
2 cups canned pumpkin
8 ounces Mascarpone cheese
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg, 2 yolks
1 cup 1/2 &1/2
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg

Procedure:

• Whip Mascarpone until light and fluffy
• Mix in sugar, salt, and pumpkin and spices
• In a separate bowl, mix egg and egg yolk
• Add the 1/2 & 1/2, melted butter and vanilla
• Mix the egg/cream mixture with pumpkin/cheese until very smooth
• Pour into pie crust
• Sprinkle top with nutmeg
• Bake at 375F for 45-50 minutes
• Cover the crust if it gets too dark

Ingredients Pie Crust:
Makes 2 generous 9" crusts--you will only need one for this recipe.  Crust may be frozen between sheets of parchment once rolled out.
1 cup unsalted butter
2 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup ice water or more if too dry

Procedure: 

• Cut the butter into very small cubes
• Mix butter and flour and salt until it is in pea sized clumps ( I cut the butter in with a pastry cutter.  You can also use two butter knives)
• Add water 1 tablespoon at a time until mixture just begins to form a ball
• Gently knead a few times to bring the dough together
• Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour
• Roll out on a silicone mat with a small amount of flour