Recipe: A Very Rummy Pumpkin Pie

My mother has asked me to bake and bring a pumpkin pie to Thanksgiving this year, and I have agreed.  I am very happy to do this, and very eager, but there's one problem: I don't like pumpkin pie.  I therefore have no actual frame of reference for when a pie tastes good.  I did research a few different pie recipes, many of which called for very similar ingredients.  Unfortunately, when it came time to do the test batch, I lacked some of these ingredients.  My husband had also asked me to "add some rum" to the filling.  He did not actually specify the quantity of rum.  Maybe I should have guessed that he meant something along the lines of a shot of rum, but I didn't, and I added a lot of rum.  A lot of rum indeed.  I added about 3/4 cup of rum. 

I did a few things differently from most of my sources.  For starters, I used a puff pastry crust instead of a normal crust.  I'd made some cheater's puff pastry for a previous recipe (that I scrapped) and wanted to get it out of the kitchen.  I also substituted cardamom for the cinnamon in most pumpkin pie spice mixtures.  I did this less for the exoticism of cardamom than because my mom can't have cinnamon.  Unfortunately, I couldn't taste the cardamom to determine whether or not it was a good choice.  I tasted rum.  I also didn't have evaporated milk, due to an error on my part, and used light cream instead. 

All this probably makes this recipe seem like something out of Thanksgiving Horror Stories Volume Three, but that wasn't really the case at all.  While I didn't care for it, I don't care for pumpkin pie so I didn't expect to like it.  My husband enjoyed it.  My dinner guests seemed to like it.  When I make it for my actual family I'll probably use a normal crust.  I'll probably use less rum, too, but who knows? 

Very Rummy Pumpkin Pie (serves 8; approx. $1.10/serving)

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed (or make your own)

1 can pure pumpkin puree (unsweetened, please!)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon ground cardamom

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 eggs

3/4 cup light cream

3/4 cup dark rum

1 pinch ground cloves

Equipment:

• 9" pie plate
• Pie weights (optional: I line the crust with tin foil and fill it with dried beans)
• Large mixing bowl

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
2. Roll out the puff pastry until it can line your pie plate.
3. Line the pie plate with the crust.
4. Either weight down the crust with the pie weights or follow the directions under "Equipment."
5. Bake the crust for 15 minutes.
6. Remove the weights (and foil, if using) and bake another 15 minutes.
7. Meanwhile, whisk the remaining ingredients in the large mixing bowl. 
8. Reduce oven temperature to 325.
9. Fill the pie with the filling.  Bake about 50 minutes, until the center is mostly set but still a little wobbly. 
10. Let cool completely and chill.
11. Serve cold.

Comments

[clumbsycookie]

If you're guests and husband liked it, I'm sure it was great!

[Fearless Kitchen]

Thanks for the comment! Pumpkin pie isn't really my thing, but I'll admit that the rum made me like it a little more.

[Ning]

3/4 cup of rum is very rummy indeed. Sounds like what my Hubby would like! Great idea! :)