This delicious pie is the final post in my series, Thanksgiving Cooking for Two. You’ll find the other recipes in this special series at the end of this post.
I am a huge pumpkin pie fan. I know it can be hit or miss with some people, but that’s not the case for me. If you line up a selection of pies, I might give chocolate meringue a second glance, but I will always pick pumpkin.
There is a catch, though. I’m not crazy about the traditional, out of the can pumpkin, type of pie. My grandmother’s recipe will always be my favorite and if I can’t have that, well, it’s a pumpkin pie that I’ve gotten creative with.
First, roasted, pureed pumpkin. It makes such a difference and it’s completely worth the minimal effort. Then, it needs a wow factor — a variation in the spices, a gingerbread crust, maybe a meringue topping. Give me any of those and pumpkin remains number one.
The past few years I have pondered the idea of loading pumpkin pie with fresh ginger, but I’m just now getting around to putting that idea into action. And I didn’t only add ginger. A dash of black pepper puts it over the top. Then a little molasses gives a complexity to the sweetness.
It’s the kind of flavor that makes you ponder each bite for a bit. The flavors are bold, so be prepared. If you like a creative pumpkin pie, though, I have no doubt that you’ll love this.
I also decided to make this pie for my Thanksgiving for two. I’m still trying to decide if that was a good idea. I bought a small 6-inch pie pan a few weeks ago and it worked well for this, but had it been a full 9-inch pie, I wouldn’t have complained. I’d be polishing off the last piece as I write this.
Some notes on the pie. I make all butter crusts and this one is a favorite. You will have enough for a top and bottom of a 6-inch pie, but you’ll only need the bottom. Just freeze the extra crust for your next mini pie, because you will likely make this one again.
This was the only thing we had leftovers of, but that will all depend on how hungry you are for your Thanksgiving meal. A half of the 6-inch pan is on the generous side of a normal slice, or you can cut in in fourths and have a small slice now and another one later.
Either way, I can think of no better way than to end a Thanksgiving meal for two!
- 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- 1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon white vinegar
- 5 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon cold water
- 1/2 cup pureed roasted pumpkin
- 1 large egg
- 1 1/2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger root
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/8 teaspoon fine ground sea salt
- Large pinch ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon milk
- To make the crust, stir together the flour, sugar and salt in a medium bowl. Add the butter and use a pastry blender or two knives to work the butter into the flour until it is in pea-size pieces.
- Add the vinegar. Stir in the water, a little at a time, and knead the dough into a ball.
- Cut the ball in two. Freeze one half. Wrap the other half in plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 20 to 30 minutes.
- To make the filling, stir together the pumpkin, egg and ginger in a medium bowl. Mix in the molasses, sugar, spices, salt and finally the milk.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
- Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a floured surface. Roll into a circle so that at least 1 inch will hang over the sides of a small 6-inch pie pan.
- Gently press the dough into the corners of the pan, crimp the edges of the crust and discard any excess you cut off the edge. Prick the bottom a few times with a fork.
- Pour the filling into the crust. Place the pie pan on a baking sheet. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden and the filling is set in the center.
- Let cool 30 minutes before serving.
More Thanksgiving Cooking for Two:
Beer Basted Turkey
Green Olive and Pecan Sourdough Stuffing
Brussels Sprouts in Parmesan Garlic Butter
Smoky Maple Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Cinnamon Sugared Pepitas
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