Bon Appetit Desserts (67 page)

¾ cup chilled heavy whipping cream

3 large eggs, beaten to blend

½ cup sour cream

¼ cup apricot preserves

Roll out dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to ½ inch. Fold overhang under and shape edge to form high-standing rim. Make cut in crust edge at ½-inch intervals. Bend alternate edge pieces inward. Freeze crust 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 375°F. Line crust with foil and beans or pie weights. Place crust on large rimmed baking sheet. Bake crust until sides are set and dry, about 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake crust until cooked through and pale golden, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, 13 to 15 minutes longer. Cool crust on sheet 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Whisk both sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, and salt in medium bowl until no lumps remain. Whisk in pumpkin, whipping cream, eggs, and sour cream. Gently spread apricot preserves evenly over inside of crust to coat. Pour filling into crust.

Bake pie on sheet until filling puffs at edges and center is almost set, 1 hour to 1 hour 5 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack. Cover and chill until cold.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.

Flaky Pie Crust

All purpose flour and cake flour combine to make a tender crust, while the mixture of butter and shortening lends flavor and a flaky texture. If you don’t own a food processor, simply use your fingertips or a pastry blender to combine the butter and shortening with the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse meal.
Makes 1 dough disk (enough for one 9-inch or 10-inch crust)

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour

⅓ cup cake flour

1 tablespoon sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

6 tablespoons (¾ stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons chilled non-hydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces

3 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Mix both flours, sugar, and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening; using on/off turns, process until mixture resembles very coarse meal. Add 3 tablespoons ice water and process until large moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill until cold and firm, at least 1 hour.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie with Pecan-Graham Cracker Crust and Ginger Whipped Cream

A chiffon pie is any pie with an airy, fluffy filling. This velvety-textured pumpkin pie has a crunchy nutty crust, delicate spicing, a hint of bourbon, and zingy crystallized ginger that decorates the whipped cream topping. Try it as an alternative to a traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.
8 servings

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

¾ cup finely chopped pecans

¼ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

⅛ teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

¼-ounce envelope unflavored gelatin

2 tablespoons bourbon

1¼ cups canned pure pumpkin

¾ cup whole milk

⅔ cup (packed) golden brown sugar

4 large egg yolks

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon salt

1½ cups chilled heavy whipping cream, divided

2 tablespoons powdered sugar

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

1½ tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger

CRUST:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Stir graham cracker crumbs, pecans, brown sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add butter and mix until crumbs are moistened. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and up sides of prepared dish. Bake crust until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Cool, then chill crust until cold.

FILLING:
Sprinkle gelatin over bourbon in small bowl; set aside until gelatin softens, about 10 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk pumpkin, milk, brown sugar, egg yolks, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt in heavy medium saucepan to blend. Stir over medium-low heat until mixture thickens slightly and instant-read thermometer inserted into mixture registers 160°F, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into large metal bowl. Immediately add softened gelatin mixture and stir until gelatin dissolves. Set bowl with pumpkin mixture over large bowl of ice water and stir until mixture is cold to touch but not set, about 5 minutes.

Beat ¾ cup cream in medium bowl until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Pour filling into chilled crust. Chill pie until filling is set, at least 3 hours.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely with foil and keep chilled.

Using electric mixer, beat remaining ¾ cup cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla in medium bowl until medium-firm peaks form. Transfer whipped cream to pastry bag fitted with large star tip. Pipe whipped cream rosettes around edge of pie. Alternately, spread whipped cream decoratively over pie. Sprinkle crystallized ginger over whipped cream.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 6 hours ahead. Chill uncovered.

Sweet Potato Cream Pie

Cooking the sweet potatoes in the microwave helps this pie come together quickly, a fact you’ll appreciate when you’re rushing to make all those desserts for the Thanksgiving feast.
10 to 12 servings

Flaky Pie Crust dough disk (see recipe on page 233)

2 large red-skinned sweet potatoes (yams; about 1¾ pounds total)

¾ cup (packed) dark brown sugar

5 large egg yolks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Sweetened whipped cream

Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Roll out dough disk on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to prepared pie dish. Trim dough overhang to ½ inch if necessary. Fold overhang under, forming edge, and crimp decoratively. Freeze 15 minutes.

Line crust with foil; fill with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until edge of crust is pale golden, about 25 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Continue to bake until bottom of crust is pale golden, about 5 minutes. Cool crust on rack. Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.

Meanwhile, pierce sweet potatoes in several places with fork or toothpick. Cook in microwave on high until tender, turning once, about 10 minutes. Cut potatoes open; cool. Scrape flesh into medium bowl; discard skins. Mash potatoes. Measure enough potatoes to equal 2 cups (reserve remainder for another use).

Combine 2 cups mashed sweet potatoes, brown sugar, egg yolks, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in processor; puree until smooth. Transfer to bowl; mix in whipping cream. Pour into crust.

Bake pie until filling is set in center and top is no longer shiny, about 50 minutes. Transfer to rack and cool completely.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill uncovered until cold, then cover and keep chilled.

Serve pie cold with whipped cream.

Toasted-Pecan Pie

Some of the pecans for this pie are toasted to an aromatic brown before being finely ground and stirred into the otherwise traditional pecan-pie filling. The results are rich and delicious. Avoid an oily mess by making sure that the nuts are cooled completely before grinding them.
10 servings

1⅓ cups unbleached all purpose flour

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

3 cups pecans, divided

6 large eggs

2 cups sugar

2 cups dark corn syrup

¼ cup (½ stick) unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

¼ teaspoon salt

Lightly sweetened whipped cream

CRUST:
Blend flour and salt in processor 10 seconds. Add butter; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons ice water and blend just until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if mixture is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill 1 hour.

DO AHEAD:
Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled. Let soften slightly at room temperature before rolling out.

FILLING:
Preheat oven to 350°F. Coarsely chop 2 cups pecans and reserve. Spread remaining 1 cup pecans on rimmed baking sheet. Toast in oven until nuts are aromatic and darker in color, about 12 minutes. Cool nuts completely, then grind finely in processor. Maintain oven temperature.

Roll out dough disk on lightly floured surface to 13-inch round (crust will be thin). Transfer to 10-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Fold dough overhang under, forming high-standing rim; crimp edges decoratively. Freeze crust 20 minutes.