Last updated on November 22nd, 2014
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A GOOD PUMPKIN PIE AND A GREAT ONE? Well, first the crust. Only tender, flaky, pate brisee will do. Next, the filling should be savory and sweet in equal measure. This way, you can enjoy the pie not only for dessert, but for breakfast, too. And finally, with every bite, Handel’s “Hallelujah Chorus” should play in your head. This excellence is easily achieved:
A Better Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients for one 9-inch pie (8 or more servings)
For the pate brisee crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, cut into a half-inch dice
1/4 cup ice water
For the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 15oz can pumpkin puree (solid pack)
1 12oz can evaporated milk, minus 2 Tablespoons*
2 Tablespoons dark rum*
2 “large” eggs, beaten
*When I first made this pie, I used one 1/4 cup rum in the filling, and subtracted an equal amount of evaporated milk. But on subsequent trials I’ve discovered that 2 Tablespoons of rum is all that is needed to give the pie a beautiful taste and perfume.
To start, make the pate brisee crust. Pour flour and salt into the bowl of your food processor; process for just 2 seconds to combine.
Now take a stick of butter…
And cut it lengthwise in half. Then cut the halves in half, as shown.
Finally, cut the butter cross-wise into half-inch cubes.
Add the cubes to the food processor…
And pulse them 5 to 10 times, just to break them up. The photo above will give you an idea of how coarsely chopped the butter should be.
No picture here for this next step, because I forgot to take one: Pour two tablespoons of water through the machine’s feed-tube. Then pulse the mixture 5 more times.
The mixture should resemble coarse meal. And it should just hold together when pressed between your fingers. If it is too dry to hold together, pulse in 2 more tablespoons of ice water.
Dump the dough onto your barely-floured work surface. Then roughly shape it into a disc.
Wrap the disc in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Why? Because we want to keep the butter firm.
I’m sorry for giving you so many pictures. But when it comes to making pate brisee, the beauty is in the details.
While the dough is chilling, let’s make the filling.
That last sentence sounded like a rap song. If you have rappers in your life, they will love this pie.
In a small yellow bowl, whisk together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
Pumpkin pie spice comes in a little 1.12 oz jar. It is a mix of cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and allspice. Allspice is redolent of clove. In aromatherapy, clove is a very calming scent.
Remove 2 Tablespoons of evaporated milk from the can. Don’t throw that bit of milk away — add it to your coffee.
We will be replacing that bit of milk with something more flavorful and fragrant: Dark Jamaican Rum.
Pour the pumpkin puree, the remaining evaporated milk, the beaten eggs and 2 Tablespoons of dark rum into a large white bowl. Use a big wire whisk to blend these ingredients together. Be sure to blend slowly at first, or the evaporated milk and the rum will splash all over the black cashmere sweater you just bought from Macy’s. I speak from experience.
Set the filling aside for one minute, while we roll out the dough.
I like to roll out my dough on a plastic sheet that shows circles in varying diameters. You can pick up such a gadget like this at almost any kitchen-supply store. It is supposedly non-stick, but I still flour it lightly as insurance.
Of course, you don’t have to use such a template. But you might like to keep a ruler or a yardstick handy. For a standard 9-inch pie plate, we need to produce a circle of dough that is 12 inches in diameter.
Did you know there’s a trick to rolling out dough? Always start in the middle of your disc, and roll out only to within one inch of the end, as pictured above. This way, the edge of the dough will be thicker than the rest of the dough. This thick edge makes it easy to produce a fluted or other kind of decorative edge.
And here’s another trick: Once the dough is rolled to the proper diameter, fold it in half, as shown.
Then fold the long rectangle in half to form a triangle.
Hey, we’re doing geometry here!
Place the point of the triangle in the center of the pie plate (which you have either buttered or sprayed with vegetable- or “baking”-spray). Then unfold the dough, and it will be perfectly centered on the plate.
No picture for this step next step, because it is a two-handed job: Flute the edge of the dough. Not sure how to flute? Watch this video.
If your dough is still cold, go ahead and fill the pie. Otherwise, chill it for about 15 minutes or so.
Ladle the glorious, rum-enriched filling into the pie. The filling should reach only the rim of the pie plate — don’t let it reach the fluted edge.
Bake on the lower-middle rack of your preheated 425-degree F oven for exactly 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 350, and continue baking until the crust is done but not burned, and the filling is completely set — 40-50 minutes. In my low-end gas oven, this pumpkin pie is always done at 40 minutes.
Now, this is what I call a perfectly baked pie. It’s hard to tell from the picture above, but the filling positively shimmers.
Let the pie cool for 2 hours before slicing. Can’t wait that long? I don’t blame you. Set the pie some place cold. Just don’t place it in your freezer, or the filling and the crust will separate. And we can’t have that. Not after you bothered to make pate brisee!
You could adorn this beauty with whipped cream or ice cream. But believe me, the pie itself doesn’t need such embellishment. The crust is exquisitely tender, flaky, and buttery. And the filling is rich, custardy, rum-scented, and…well, just have a bite!
Need a copy and paste version of the above? Here goes:
A Better Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients for one 9-inch pie (8 or more servings)
For the pate brisee crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, scooped and leveled
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 Tablespoons (one stick) unsalted butter, cut into a half-inch dice
1/4 cup ice waterFor the filling:
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 15oz can pumpkin puree (solid pack)
1 12oz can evaporated milk, minus 2 Tablespoons
2 Tablespoons dark rum
2 “large” eggs, lightly beatenMaking the pate brisee crust – Pour flour, salt and diced, cold butter into the bowl of the food processor. Pulse 5-10 times, just to break up the butter. Pour 2 tablespoons of ice water through the processor’s feed tube, and pulse 5 more times. If the dough holds together when pressed between fingers, it is done. If it is too dry to hold together, pulse in another 2 tablespoons of water. Dump the dough onto a lightly-floured work surface, pat it into a disc, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 days.
The filling — In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar and pumpkin pie spice. Then, in a larger bowl, whisk together the remaining filling ingredients. Set aside while you roll out the dough.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Roll out the dough to 12 inches in diameter. Place dough in greased (or vegetable-sprayed) pie plate, and then flute the edges. Ladle in the filling just to the rim of the pie plate.
Baking – 15 minutes at 425F; 40-50 minutes at 350F. Set the pie on the lower middle rack of the preheated 425F oven for 15 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350F, and continue to bake until the crust is done, and the filling is set — 40-50 minutes. Let cool for 2 hours before serving.
Serving – Serve as is, or with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream. This pie is so delicious is requires no adornment whatsoever.
In the comments field below, I hope you’ll tell me if you plan to try this pie. As always, I love hearing from you.
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Related Posts:
Caramelized Butternut Squash Soup
Pumpkin Muffins
Autumn Spice Cookies
Terry says
oh lord help me!
I have never put rum in my pie but I will certainly need to do that…right away
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Terry – Well, there’s a first time for everything! And if you’re nervous about using rum…instead of using one 1/4 cup, use only 2 Tbsp. And remove 2 Tbsp (instead of one 1/4 cup) of the evaporated milk.
badger gardener says
Sounds like an intriguing mix of flavors. When baking w/ alcohol does it burn off? Wondering if I can get away w/ this as my kids love pumpkin pie too and may not like being denied a slice.
Hope you are enjoying your Nov. thus far. Happy days!!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi badger gardener – Some of the alcohol will burn off. But not all of it. If in doubt, omit the rum from this recipe — or just reduce the amount as mentioned for Terry in comment #2. Or, consider this an “adults only” pie! (You are not likely to get drunk off the tiny amount of rum which ends up in a slice.)
Foul Woman with a few goats says
I am going to try this tomorrow on my daughter and her significant other as a test run for Thanksgiving. As always,thanks Kevin
Donna B. says
I love how through the photos, a mini whisk suddenly shapeshifted into a larger one. 😀
Oh goodness, I am getting way too many pumpkin pie recipes through the food/gardening blogs I peruse! But, as it’s a favorite in my household, I’ll just have to make one of each! Good thing the Butternut, Black Futsu, and Mystery squash produced well in my garden! I’ll be swimming in pies!!!
And I must go get some rum! Yum yum! ♥
Sandy says
I rendered my own leaf lard this year and I have to say I have made more pies, quiches and pot pies than ever! I’m sold on lard for crusts. It’s from my very own happy pasture feed pig, I think he had 3 bad minutes……
Now off to dig out the rum and do my best Julia Child impersonation!
Thanks!!
Susan says
How about burning the alcohol off before adding it to the pie? I am going to try this the next time I make pumpkin pie. Sounds delightful. I have grandbabies who will want some so I need to make sure all the alcohol is definitely gone. 🙂
C Miller says
I will second with Kevin that this is the best pie crust you will ever have. I have been making it for years, but make larger batches of it. I have left it in the frig for up to 3 days prior to use. Another tip-It comes out considerably flakier in a “glass” pie plate.
I use glass and ceramic, but it is flakier in the glass..
Just had it yesterday as quiche.
Pat L-G says
Will this work if you use rum flavoring (extract) as opposed to using real rum? I will admit there’s nothing better than good Jamaican rum, but need to not have it in the house.
Bruni says
While you have the Myers’s Rum out, why not try my go-to recipe for whipped cream.
Ginger Whipped Cream: 1 cup chilled whipping cream, 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 Tbs sugar, 1 1/2 Tbs Myers’ s Rum, 1/4 tsp ground ginger. Beat first 3 ingredients to soft peaks. Add rum and ginger and beat until almost stiff. This makes about 3 1/2 cups but recipe can easily be halved. Can be made 5 hrs ahead.
Deborah says
Never apologize for too many pictures! LOL Baking Idiots like me need all the direction we can get and photos kind of ‘affirm’ that what we’re doing matches what you’re doing!
donnikah says
I never could make a decent pie crust so gave up trying. Pumpkin is my favorite pie but I always had to use frozen pie crusts. This year I will again attempt the pie crust per your instructions, Kevin. Thanks for sharing
Darlene says
Looks absolutely fantastic and I will be making this for Thanksgiving this year! The only thing I would change is the butter used. I have a new found love for Plugra, which is a European butter (comes salted or unsalted) … so so so delicious and it has taken all my recipes up another notch.. You should try it out. 🙂
Kim says
I like my crust and filling much better. Here it is:
Crust
3 c flour
1 1/2 c Crisco
1 t salt
Cut with pastry cutter
6 T cold water
1 T vinegar
1 egg
Mix together and add to flour mixture. This crust is a very tender crust and a little hard to roll out, but the end result is fabulous! Very flaky!
Filling:
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 c pumpkin
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
1/2 t salt
1 1/2 t cinnamon
1/2 t ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t cloves
1 1/2 c evaporated milk
Mix togerher and pour in prepared crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then lower temp to 350 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes.
This recipe has been in my family for over 50 years. We’ve tried others, but they just don’t compare.
Happy Thanksgiving! Love your blog!
Kim
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Foul Woman with a Few Goats – Great! Let me know how the pie turns out for you.
Donna B. – Yes, try all the pies!
Pat L-G – Should work with alcohol-free rum flavoring, too.
Bruni – That whipped cream sounds awesome! Thanks for the recipe — Will try.
Deborah – Well, glad to know that all my photo-taking efforts were not in vain!
Mary Bacilieri says
I love the ginger whipped cream recipe. I make Paul Prudhommes “Chantilly Cream” to top my holiday pies and cakes. Whipping cream, sour cream, sugar, vanilla, grand marnier, and brandy. This pie recipe is a must try for me this Thanksgiving!
Judy says
I have a pumpkin pie recipe I really like (it uses brandy instead of rum) but I am definitely going to make the pate brisee crust!!
Brenda Johnson says
I once again was the fortunate recipient of a slice of this incredible pie…. divine! the texture of the smooth filling paired with the nearly crisp pate brisee crust…. and the flavor!!! Oh the flavor!!! Nothing says “here come the holidays” like a piece of pumpkin pie- warm fall spices paired with pumpkin (which is a vegetable- so therefore makes this a healthy food!) Thanks Kevin!!! This will be served at my house for Thanksgiving!!!!
Adrien Burke says
My notorious punkin pie is brown with molasses – and bourbon, and I use my own spices, which includes quite a lot of ginger. Thanks for the tips on the crust, tho’ – I am going to try this on.
Antoniette says
Kevin, as usual, you present us with simply mouthwatering recipes and beautiful images that send us all to the kitchen! 🙂 I will try your recipe this year, as my grandmother, who passed at 96, always used Rum LIBERALLY in her baking lol. This post and recipe brought me back to some fond memories of a woman who never wrote down a recipe unfortunately. Thanks!
SusieQ says
Pioneer Woman (Ree Drummond) always takes pictures of her receipies. That is what bloggers do. Thank you Kevin
Valerie C. says
I love this recipe! Thanks Kevin! I’ll be making it this week and again next week. This novice cooks for every holiday now. I need all the help I can get. I agree with Deborah, the more photos, the better 🙂
Alisha Bush says
I don’t want to put any alcohol in my pie. Do you think rum flavored extract would have a good result? Any recommendations on how much of the rum extract I should put in?
Annie B says
Yum!
Anne Shea says
I made my first pumpkin pie at age 13 from a fresh pumpkin with the aid of The Joy of Cooking. They turned out so amazing and I am still a legend among some younger cousins who, number one, couldn’t believe my mother let me do it unassisted, and two, I was able to do it unassisted. I have been making pumpkin pies ever since (almost 40 years). They are a fave in our house. I have never put rum in them, but will definitely try it. I will also try the crust recipe, but I am on a coconut oil kick right now. I wonder if I could substitute that for some or all of the butter?
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Anne Shea – What a great story! I started cooking at a very young age, too.
To answer your question: You can use coconut oil to make a pie crust. But that crust won’t be pate brisee!
Jeanne says
My grandmother had a pecan farm so we never had pumpkin pie, only pecan pie so I never developed a taste for it. Frankly I can’t stand anything pumpkin. But I am definitely going to try that pate brisee recipe for my pecan pies this year!
Lee McLean says
Kevin, love your recipes, your pictures, your sense of humour – note the small yellow and big white bowls! – and yes, filling is only attracted to our newest and most expensive shirtfronts. That’s a given. But mostly, your blog makes me want to get in the kitchen and get crackin’ – and believe me, that’s not an easy thing to make me wanna do. Thanks.
Diane Kratz says
Relieved to know someone else eats pumpkin pie for breakfast….!
Diane Kratz says
…And that someone else wears black when making piecrust…
Carolyn says
Why don’t you use fresh pumpkin instead of canned? It is so easy to make. I wash the outside of the pie pumpkin(don’t use jack-o-lanterns), puncture it multiple times like a baking potato, place in a foil lined pie tin or baking pan, and bake at 350 degrees for about 1 hour or until the shell is soft to the touch. Remove from oven, puncture it a few more times to release the heat. Let cool until cool the touch, cut apart, peel, which it does easily, cut into pieces and mash. Makes fantastic pumpkin bread, pumpkin cheesecake, soup, and , of course, pies. I use the technique for squash and sweet potatoes too. It makes dealing with these “difficult to deal with” items very easy to handle.
Debbie says
Woo Hoo I am going to make that , Sounds so good . and by the way I like the pictures !! 🙂
Yogini55 says
THis pie looks as beautiful at the ones my mom used to make! She always used Crisco in her crusts but I’d like to try the butter. Any reason you can’t use salted butter and just decrease the salt?
Connie says
I love you!
Amy Simonson says
Kevin, LOVE your sense of humor! And this pie will definitely bring songs forth when I serve it! Holy cow that looks good. I’ll let you know in a couple of weeks how much the family loved it. Hmmmm, may need to make one early, you know, for quality assurance!! ;-))
Donna says
OMG !!! Drooling over the pictures. Wishing I had an aromavision computer screen. Thank You for the great pics and thank you to Carolyn too, for her real pumpkin idea. My 1st garden ever produced 3 perfect pumpkins that I wanted to use for pies. Am very excited to try this.
Brenda says
Tried the pie recipe today and love it! It’s so light for a pumpkin pie and very good. A problem I encountered was the crust did not get done on the bottom. Any ideas?
Also I baked the Pumpkin Muffins this morning — OMG! So good — my husband loves them also. Thank you for sharing your recipes (I appreciate your pictures also) and your gardening tips.
bonnief says
Looks like another GREAT recipe I will have to wait on. Kevin, it may be hard to believe but this is actually the first time since Home Economics 101 ( um…..) that I’ve taken up the whole world of baking and making. I have been able to purchase fun items from BB&B without recrimination simply by putting something yummy in front of my husbands face for dinner. Instant amnesia regarding my spending habits ( I’m frugal ) but, this recipe calls for a FOOD Processor, which, since my sorjourn into the world of all things YUMMY seems completely indispensable and a ” can’t do without ” item.
Will this pie make my husband forget all about my latest and kind of pricey purchase of the above mentioned FOOD PROCESSOR ?
Heidi G says
Can you get by without the food processor? That’s one thing I’ve never purchased for myself. I had wanted to try this crust for my chocolate pie this year.
Thank you!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Heidi G – The food processor speeds things up considerably, but you don’t need one to make this dough. You can blend the flour and butter with your fingers (as French cooks used to do) or with the aid of a pastry-blender. Very important to keep the butter cold — if it softens too much, just stick the works in the fridge for 30 minutes or so to let the butter firm up.
Brenda Johnson says
This pie is all made and ready for Thanksgiving!!!!! Can’t wait to have everyone try it!!!!! (I may have put an extra splash of rum in……I’ll never tell!!!)
Barb says
Just had to let you know that we made your pie today, with one little change. Having been recently declared gluten intolerant, I was sad to miss out on pumpkin pie. Sure you can make it without a crust, but on thanksgiving, really? I made your delicate crust using sorghum flour. It rolled out beautifully, held it’s fluting, and tasted great. Thanks for a yummy ending to our celebrating.
Conny says
Thank you Kevin for this wonderful pate brisee crust, I tried it with my own filling and it turned out just wonderful, will from now on use this pate brisee crust for sure, yummm. I have the same issue as Heidi G. no food processor, so I did it by hand, no biggie. Still thinking of buying a food processor in the near future, any suggestions what brand and size to buy?
Thanks. Conny
Ann KirkWil says
Will definitely try this… especially the pie crust. Like idea of rum in filling too. But wondering, is it necessary to use a yellow bowl? LOL
Lori G. says
Apron? Surely you have one. Or are you like me? I know I have several aprons but do I remember to put one on before I spill on myself?
No. I don’t.
Peejay says
I am just discovering you. The only other regular blogs I get are Homesick Texan and Farmgirl Fare, but I have to say, dude, YOU ROCK!!!
Bj says
I just ran across ur blog recently and have been intrigued with all the growing tips, recipes & humor! I will try out this recipe as soon as I have a food processor (which hopefully I’ll win ツ
Thanks!
Debra says
This sounds soooo good! Definitely trying it for the holidays this year. I love spending quality time with your blog… 😉
Kate says
I am making this tonight! Thanks Kevin!
Laura says
Baking your pie tonight (Thanksgiving Eve); made the crust two days ago. Two reasons I chose your recipe this year: 1.)Love that the crust does not need to be pre-baked and 2.) am out of brown sugar and this is one of the few recipes I’ve seen that uses only white sugar. I’ll fiddle with the spices, though, as I don’t have Pumpkin Pie spice. Expect it to be quite delicious! Thank you!
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Richard says
Hi Kevin, just wondering, any way you can make a gluten free pie crust? I’ve become violently gluten intolerant in the last couple of months and have to re-work my whole cooking repertoire. Have to figure out how to make a fake graham cracker crust for my key lime pie and a pate brisee kind of crust for my bacon-leek tart (original recipe from James Beard).
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Richard – I have yet to find a gluten-free pie crust that I like. And that’s a shame, because I live with someone who, like you, is gluten-intolerant. If you find a great sub for pate brisee, by all means drop me a line!
Trudi Dido says
YAY Barb! i was pining for the pie and wondering what to use in place of “regular-flour. Sorghum it is !
thanks
Sheri says
Question: Why do so many recipes call for unsalted butter? With the price of butter so high I could only find it at a reasonable cost with salt added.
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Sheri – Unsalted butter permits you to control the taste of your baked goods. But you can certainly use the salted version — it won’t affect the texture of your pie crust.
Lainey says
so….
the sugar and spices are in the small bowl…
milk, pumpkin etc is in the large bowl…
I’m assuming the two get mixed together at some point??
Judy Pennington says
I came to this page for the dough recipe for the Mushroom tart, but I might just try the pie recipe for Thanksgiving this year! As usual though, since I don’t drink, I will use rum extract. 🙂
Stacy says
I have made this pumpkin pie. I have NEVER liked pumpkin pie before this recipe. It is beautiful and delicious!
Your crust is the best ever – I make the mushroom tart when I have having guests for lunch – it is so special. I am excited to try the caramelized onion and blue cheese tart – OMG it looks fabulous!
I love all of your recipes, Kevin and I am always excited to see an email from you because I know it will have at least one recipe that I can try and everyone will love! Can’t wait until you have a cookbook!
Kevin Lee Jacobs says
Hi Stacy – thanks so much for your comment. Glad you like the recipes! I’ll keep you posted on the cookbook…
Marlyn says
I’ve been baking small sweet pumpkins for 30 years. Cut pumpkin in half. I clean the insides out using the scraper for Jack-O-Lanterns. Put cut side down in a sided pan with 1/2″ water in the bottom and cover with foil. Bake at 350 for an hour or until a knife inserts easily. Remove and carefully take the pumpkins out of the pan, cool, remove skin and mash. I freeze it in containers for whichever recipe I’ll use it for – so 1/2c., 1 cup or 2 cups (for pie). In the Fall sweet cooking pumpkins are available in grocery stores. The flesh is thicker & denser than a pumpkin for carving.
Mlaiuppa says
I’ll be making this this year only using Sugar in the Raw and bourbon in stead of rum. The Sugar in the Raw will have a hint of brown sugar taste to it. We prefer bourbon over rum.