I have to confess. Until I made this Light and Creamy Pumpkin Pie, I mostly thought pumpkin pie was a vehicle for good, real whipped cream. My grandmothers made sweet potato pie more often than pumpkin and while many say you can’t tell the difference in the two, I beg to disagree with that. Truth be told, however, neither one ranked very high on my list of “too-die-for pies.” But I was determined.
I wanted to create a pumpkin pie that maintained the traditional taste but did not have that dense texture pumpkin pies have all too often. And I believe I’ve found it. After sharing it with Hubby and his office crew and several of our neighbors, I know I have. The one common comment among them all was , “this is the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever eaten.”
So give it a try, won’t you? Perhaps you’ll even want to include it on your Thanksgiving menu. It’ll be one of those dishes your family won’t quibble over — unlike when you say you want to change up Grandmother’s Cornbread Dressing recipe or Aunt Mabel’s Green Bean Casserole. You know. That kind of change that just might cause a civil war? It just won’t happen with this Light and Creamy Pumpkin Pie.
But I still want that whipped cream.
Notes
If candied yams are unavailable, regular canned yams can be substituted. The best way to judge doneness is with an instant-read thermometer. The center 2 inches of the pie should look firm but jiggle slightly. The pie finishes cooking with residual heat; to ensure that the filling sets, cool it at room temperature and not in the refrigerator. To ensure accurate cooking times and a crisp crust, the filling should be added to the baked crust when both the crust and filling are warm. Serve at room temperature with whipped cream.
Ingredients
- 1 baked 9-inch pie shell
- 1 cup good quality eggnog (I like Southern Comfort. Substitute heavy cream)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 3 large eggs plus 2 large yolks
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
- 1cup drained candied yams from 15-ounce can (Substitute canned yams.)
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- While pie shell is baking, whisk eggnog (or cream), milk, eggs, yolks and vanilla together in medium bowl. Combine pumpkin puree, yams, sugar, maple syrup, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring to sputtering simmer over medium heat, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Continue to simmer pumpkin mixture, stirring constantly and mashing yams against sides of pot, until thick and shiny, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Puree with immersion blender to create a very smooth filling.
- Remove pan from heat and whisk in cream mixture until fully incorporated.
- Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer set over medium bowl, using back of ladle or spatula to press solids through strainer.
- Rewhisk mixture and transfer to warm prebaked pie shell.
- Return pie plate with baking sheet to oven and bake pie for 10 minutes.
- Reduce heat to 300 degrees and continue baking until edges of pie are set (instant-read thermometer inserted in center registers 175 degrees), 20 to 35 minutes longer.
- Transfer pie to wire rack and cool to room temperature, 2 to 3 hours.
- Cut into wedges and serve.
This looks so good. I’m used to heavier pumpkin pies, so I really like the idea of something light and creamy! That appeals to me!