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Revisiting Pumpkin Pie Nov/Dec 08

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Posted: 10/4/2008 2:08 PM

#260088

	showgirl

	Member

Total Posts:5
Last Post:12/3/2008
Member Since:10/4/2008

Subject: Revisiting Pumpkin Pie Nov/Dec 08

I just made the pumpkin pie following the directions to bake until the center reaches 175 degrees. I actually took it to 182 degrees, let it cool for 3 hours as it said but the center was surely not done. almost...not quite..."soupy". i'm sure it will firm up some if i refrigerate it but i don't want to have to do that on Thanksgiving day. do you think the 175 degrees is a misprint? BTW the flavor is outstanding and is super creamy.

Posted: 10/4/2008 3:43 PM

#260099

	vtcook

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Total Posts:1116
Last Post:9/6/2010
Member Since:6/1/2007

Hi showgirl and welcome to the board!

We were just discussing this on the 'Nov./Dec Issue' thread. I also had a problem with this recipe. It took much, much, much longer than the recipe says for it to cook to the 'very centre still a bit jiggly' stage. I eventually increased to 350F so it could finish cooking.

My gold standard for pumpkin pie has been this Maple Pumpkin Pie recipe from Epicurious.

I doubled the recipe, which I mentioned actually makes enough filling to generously fill THREE pies - so I'm beginning to think there may in typo in the amount of liquid it calls for.

The only alteration I made to the recipe was a technique in the epicurious recipe to simmer the maply syrup until it reaches 210F on a candy thermometre, which one would think, wouldn't affect the runniness of it.

CI's recipe is delicious and creamy but my issue is now loaded with 'sticky notes' for the next time I make it.

Michelle.

"There is no love sincerer than the love of food."
- George Bernard Shaw

Posted: 10/5/2008 10:04 PM

#260280

	showgirl

	Member

Total Posts:5
Last Post:12/3/2008
Member Since:10/4/2008

thanks vtcook for the welcome! i read your post on the nov/dec thread...i can't believe you were in the kitchen ALL day! you know whats odd in the notes of this recipe it says they had the temp at 400 degrees for the first 15 minutes and yet when you go to the instructions, it says to only have it at 400 for 10 minutes. i hate when they confuse me like that. the next time i make it, i'll try the 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Posted: 10/6/2008 2:01 PM

#260343

	hppyhmkr

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Total Posts:375
Last Post:5/13/2009
Member Since:12/4/2003

This is exactly the same experience I had with the original CI recipe, a soupy filling. It is probably the only CI recipe throughout the years that I would regard as a flop(and I made it twice). So, I will try this new recipe, follow the tips from others on the board, and keep my fingers crossed.

Posted: 10/9/2008 11:55 AM

#260828

	Dragnus

	Member

Total Posts:3
Last Post:10/9/2008
Member Since:4/7/2008

This is the first recipe I tried with the new issue. I must admit the baking time took approx 30 minutes longer to reach the desired temp. I used a 9'' pyrex pie plate, which filled to the very top. I thought it was going to spill during baking, but fortunately it did not.Also, I tried to strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer, as it called for in the recipe. Since the mixture was too thick, this did not work, So I processed it instead. The pie turned out creamy, yet it held its shape.

Posted: 10/12/2008 9:40 PM

#261258

	Caroleland

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Total Posts:21
Last Post:9/2/2010
Member Since:6/1/2008

I made this pie yesterday, and I was disappointed. I tried it in a "taste test" with a bunch of family next to our old standard pumpkin pie recipe (from and old Betty Crocker cookbook, no less), and no-one liked the CI pie. It took longer than the recipe said to get to that 175 degree temp, and once it did, the center never did firm up....it was still very, very soft. I found the pie extremely gingery (I would maybe have used half the fresh ginger called for) and the presence of the candied sweet potatoes was obvious to all my tasters. I will say that I will use some of the baking techniques with the old recipe, such as blind baking the crust and using the temp to determine doneness, but I think 175 is too low. I would shoot for at least 180 if not 185 to get it done all the way through.

Posted: 10/13/2008 1:30 PM

#261344

	Byron

	Member

Total Posts:7
Last Post:11/10/2008
Member Since:10/13/2008

I have made this pie twice now for two reasons, The first pie I forgot the ginger oops! And, the second was because I hated how the dough rolled out. Like everyone else and even with a new oven, it took 18 extra minutes to obtain the 175 degree point, and that is with convection mode enabled. The second pie was superb, the tatse was excellent and the spices well blended. But that ^$@%$ CRUST, way too much liquid. I am going to try it again this time keeping the VODKA but adding just enough water to combine. Anyway, it good to hear that I am not the only one!!

Posted: 10/19/2008 7:57 AM

#261936

	pepperhead212

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Last Post:9/5/2010
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Bump...

Posted: 10/26/2008 9:55 AM

#262793

	DebL

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Total Posts:39
Last Post:8/19/2010
Member Since:10/25/2008

I made this yesterday and it's a lovely pie, creamy and not too sweet or spicy. I sieved the sweet potatoes before putting them into the pan, which eliminated the stringy bits. I forgot that I had a food mill, which would have made that part much easier!

The pie dough was perfect (I've made it several times before), but it's important to let it rest in the fridge so that the flour absorbs all the moisture so it's not too sticky. When the recipe says to prebake it until it's golden brown, I think it should be more like *light* golden brown, or may end up too brown at the end.

I didn't have any problem with the baking times: 10 minutes at 400, then 25-30 minutes at 300. Perhaps those of you who had to extend the baking time didn't cook the filling long enough to drive off enough moisture? I simmered the filling for 15 minutes until it was definitely not pourable and wouldn't spread over the bottom of the pan anymore after it was stirred.

At any rate, I don't get any taste of sweet potato (maybe my palate just isn't sensitive enough to detect it?), and I thought the amount ginger was just right. I can just barely find a hint of maple syrup flavor, but that's probably because I know it's there. I doubt I could identify it if I didn't!

I happen to like my pumpkin pie refrigerated, so I thought it was better this morning than last night. After a 3 hour cool-down period yesterda, it was still a little soft in the middle but held together, but this morning after being refrigerated it holds together firmly, but it soft and silky like a pudding pie. It feels a bit decadent in the mouth, contrasted with the still-crisp pie crust.

Posted: 11/9/2008 7:44 AM

#264378

	AllanG

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Total Posts:31
Last Post:12/2/2009
Member Since:12/28/2003

I found the pumpkin pie filling to be way too soft. I looked at a previous recipe and compared them.

Compared to the 1993 recipe there are some differences. If one makes an assumption that the volume of vegetable in the recipes is doubled (16 oz pumpkin versue 15 ounces pumkin and the can of yams), then lets look at the amount of liquid.

The biggest difference is in the number of eggs. The 1993 recipe uses 4 eggs, the 2008 recipe uses 3 eggs plus 2 yokes. Ignoring the amount of liquid in the missing whites, double the recipe should be 8 eggs not five.

The amount of added liquid in the 1993 version is 1 1/3 cups versus 2 cups milk/ cream and 1/3 cup maple syrup. So double the 1993 amount is 2 2/3 cups versus 2 1/3 cup in the 2008 recipe.

So there is more solids, not quite as much liquid, and less egg product when one compares the two recipes. Any ideas about how to get this recipe slightly more firm?

Posted: 11/14/2008 2:03 PM

#265107

	Kreg

	Member

Total Posts:1
Last Post:11/14/2008
Member Since:11/14/2008

I am new to cooking and this is maybe my third CI recipe. I suffered the same result of a slightly runny center.

I recieved several comments that this was the best pumpking pie ever (and this from a "farm family" that knows cooking better than me).

Thanks for the tips. I am trying it again this weekend and will cook longer (maybe hotter) and defintely cook it well on the stove top.

Kreg

Posted: 11/25/2008 6:08 PM

#266785

	Dave

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Total Posts:366
Last Post:4/2/2010
Member Since:8/6/2003

Help, is there an editor out there?

The recipe on page 25 calls for "candied yams" or "regular canned yams," but in the article on page 24, the author cites canned sweet potatoes in syrup rather than "candied." The photo on page 24 shows a can of sweet potatoes with heavy syrup.

I've been to four stores over the last few days. All of them have two choices:

1. Candied Yams (containing yams, water, corn syrup, sugar, brown sugar, food starch, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg)

2. Sweet Potatoes (Yams) in syrup (containing sweet potatoes, water, corn syrup and sugar)

Which one did CI intend to be the preferred ingredient? I'm guessing CI mistakenly put "Candied Yams" in the recipe unaware there was such a product on store shelves.

Please let me know, I'm making the pie dough now. I bought one can of each.

Dave

- Posted while making foolproof pie dough

drlawrence

- Posted while eating

Posted: 11/26/2008 7:40 AM

#266838

	Dave

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Total Posts:366
Last Post:4/2/2010
Member Since:8/6/2003

Dough is finished, but I ran out of time last night to complete the pie. In the meantime I've decided to go with the sweet potatoes in syrup instead of candied yams unless CI can clarify.

Dave

- Posted while drinking fresh-brewed Assam tea

drlawrence

- Posted while eating

Posted: 11/26/2008 3:01 PM

#266898

	dessertfirst

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Total Posts:2
Last Post:11/26/2008
Member Since:11/26/2008

Hi -- I just made a double recipe of the 1993 recipe, which has worked fine for me the past two years. After I had filled both pie pans, I still had a bit of the pumpkin mixture left in the bowl, so per the recipe I waited five minutes and then scooped it into one of the pans that was already in the oven. Both pies have been out on the counter for two hours now. The one I just filled once is perfect, but the one I scooped the extra filling into is still all soupy. This didn't happen last year, or the year before. I am wondering if it is because it is raining today, or because I scooped that extra (cooler) bit into it. But mostly I want to know what to do now. Do I put the pie back in the oven? Do I refrigerate it as planned and hope it sets up? Do I warm it in the oven tomorrow before we eat? Or is there some other great fix I haven't thought of? Tx for any ideas!

Posted: 11/26/2008 3:07 PM

#266899

	dessertfirst

	Member

Total Posts:2
Last Post:11/26/2008
Member Since:11/26/2008

I am having a similar problem. Did anyone write you with a great way to firm up an already cooked pie? Or did you find a solution on your own?

Posted: 12/2/2008 8:48 PM

#267534

	ChefCin

	Member

Total Posts:315
Last Post:1/16/2010
Member Since:5/16/2003

I loved this pie! It did take much longer to bake than the recipe said. I really liked the complex flavor and smooth texture. My only complaint was the simmering pumpkin mixture really stained my favorite silicon spatula. Next time I make the pie I will use that same discolored spatula so I don't discolor another. I always decrease the liquid in the vodka pie crust recipe by 25%. It works much better for me. I am going to use this recipe again next year.

Chefcin-
Fungal from Rivendell

Posted: 12/3/2008 3:38 PM

#267652

	showgirl

	Member

Total Posts:5
Last Post:12/3/2008
Member Since:10/4/2008

i ended up using the higher temp for 15 minutes (as stated in the commentary) instead of the 10 mins called for in the recipe. i used the jiggle method instead of the thermometer to check for doneness and it set up perfectly. the pie is fabulous. someone else brought a pumpkin pie to our dinner and theirs came out grainy, watery and overcooked just like the picture in CI!

Posted: 12/2/2009 8:40 AM

#297088

	Letley

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Total Posts:1
Last Post:12/2/2009
Member Since:12/2/2009

This pumpkin pie recipe is my new gold standard -- foolproof and more intense than any other recipe. However, I roast garnet yams (use one small and one medium-sized) instead of using canned sweet potatoes. I cook the pie for about 20 minutes longer at the low finishing temperature, and that firms it up just fine.

I also made Cook's vodka pie dough recipe after 30 years of being faithful to Julia Child's pate brisee. The butter/shortening content was about the same, but the vodka made all the difference. However, after refrigerating I did add between 1/3 and 1/2 cup of additional flour until it had the right consistency for rolling. It was just too loose without adding more flour. White Lily works fabulously. This pie crust didn't shrink one bit and cracked less than Julia's recipe, and the pie looked like a photo out of a gourmet magazine when it came out of the oven.

WOW!

Posted: 12/10/2009 9:38 PM

#297662

	tagged

	Member

Total Posts:20
Last Post:1/17/2010
Member Since:12/10/2009

I also made this pie. 175 deg is obviously a mistake as the center is liquid. i personally thought the pie was scrumptious when properly cooked. i passed puree through and extremely fine meshed chinois twice prior to baking and the result was silky. That being said, none of my tasters associated this pie with a traditional pumpkin pie. the yam definitely alters the flavor and i also believe the fresh ginger is a little too bold. i like the idea of using temp to determine pie doneness and will make again to find the appropriate temp. my guess is upwards of 200 deg.

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