Recipe - Pumpkin-Praline Pie

I know this is more of a Halloween dessert to make, but with all that pumpkin still in my freezer from the Halloween Party, I really wanted to make this for Christmas. It turned out great!


Doesnt that just look divine? *grin* I thought you might like it ;) It actually looks like the picture hahaha... Now I dont know where the recipe came from, it was copied and printed long ago and added to my binder cookbook so I cant give you the source, but here is the recipe. Oh yes, the recipes is of course American so all the units are in US standard. My oven pretty much has one temperature only so that part doesnt really bother me. Hope it's ok for you though!

You will need:

• 1 3/4 cups cooked and mashed pumpkin (see note below) or 1 can (16oz) canned pumpkin
  
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon grated (or ground) nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 2 large eggs
• 9-inch frozen piecrust (I used a rolled crust from the fridge section in the supermarket which also works if you cant find a ready-made frozen one)
• whipped cream for garnish

If you are using fresh pumpkin, either cut a hole in the top of a pumpkin and scoop out the seeds and scrape the pumpkin clean, or cut the pumpkin into slices and peel the slices. Cut the pumpkin slices into pieces and boil like you would do potatoes for mashing. When soft, drain and mash the pumpkin.

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Beat the pumpkin, salt, milk, brown sugar, sugar, and spices together until smooth, using the low speed on a hand mixer or using a wire whisk. Beat the eggs separately, then add them to the mixture. If you cant get them to blend smoothly, pour the mixture into a blender and puree for 30 seconds (I used a handheld puree thingy to mush it all up properly). Pour the mixture into the piecrust. Bake for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Bake for 35 minutes longer.

Topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon margarine or butter as room temperature

To make the topping, mix the ingredients together. Sprinkle over the pie, leaving a circle in the center bare. Bake for another 10 minutes until a knife inserted in the center of the pie comes out clean. Refrigerate for 4 hours until chilled. Garnish the centre of the pie with a mound of whipped cream. Immediately refrigerate any leftovers after serving.

I made a few small changes to the recipe but oly at the very end. Chilling the pie for 4 hours wasnt enough and the pie tasted better the next day after it had been in the fridge overnight. It wasnt bad after 4 hours but much more yummy the next day. I also sprinkled the topping all over the pie as the bf is not a fan of whipped cream so we added it later on (I love whipped cream!). Curious how mine came out? I made some pics especially to show off since this was my first ever pie! *proud smile*

The whole pie :) I used a spring form as I dont own a pie dish but it worked fine.

The inside of the pie

My yummy piece with the whipped cream on top :) I only had a tiny slice as I ate a lot already but it was good (and better for brekkie the next morning LOL) I used my leaf pie cutters to use up the leftover dough and garnish the pie upon serving.

So good!!

As you can see I have spent the last few days cooking and eating mostly but I hope that the crafting will recommence soon. I still have 2.5 days off work so I really must put them to good use. Oh yes, and I must show you my wonderful present for Christmas! Soon soon... ;)