I Hated Pumpkin Pie Until I Tried This Brand-New Recipe
Trust me — this is the one pie you definitely want to bake for Thanksgiving.
To me, the holiday season is a great time to try new recipes. Last year, I recreated Rachel Greene’s iconic Thanksgiving Trifle for Friendsgiving. This year, I set my sights to something a bit more advanced: our brand-new recipe for Mile-High Pumpkin Pie.
Here’s where things get a little funny. Though I was hooked by the beautiful photo for this recipe, I don’t actually like pumpkin pie — I find the texture too gooey and I always want more crust. However, I’m not one to back away from a challenge, and I knew that if this showstopping pumpkin pie couldn’t change my mind, nothing would. So, with that end goal in mind, I gathered my ingredients, cranked up my favorite playlist and got to work.
The Crust
Though I’ve made pies at home before, I’m a bit embarrassed to admit that I always used a store-bought pie crust. Thanks to my food processor, making the dough was pretty easy! It was only when I started to roll it out that things began to get tricky.
At first, my dough seemed to roll properly, but it quickly began crumbling and breaking apart. Intuition told me this meant the dough was too dry, so I sprinkled on a bit more ice water and carried on. Once it seemed flat enough, I rolled the dough around my makeshift rolling pin (a clean, empty wine bottle) and attempted to unroll it over the pie plate, which resulted in a big ol’ mess. Feeling defeated, I clumped the dough back into a disk, stuck it in the fridge and decided to try again in 30 minutes, during which I brushed up on my rolling technique with a few videos from the queens of pie baking: Ree, Ina and Molly.
Take two was a lot better. With my new-and-improved dough knowledge echoing in my brain, I quickly rolled it out to a decent size and thickness (the shape, however, resembled a turkey more than it did a round circle). Once it was plopped into the pie plate, I realized I didn’t have enough dough in certain areas to properly crimp the crust, so I ripped off pieces from the larger areas and pinched it on with my fingers (I don’t necessarily recommend this). When it was out of the oven, I broke off a tiny piece for a taste test (for presentation purposes, I don’t really recommend this either). Despite my earlier struggles, the crust was tender, flaky and buttery! With that squared away, I moved on to step two.
The Filling
This was by far the easiest part of the process. Whipping up the filling took just a few minutes and was super straightforward. The best part? The pumpkin mixture smelled absolutely divine and only improved as it baked. After an hour in the oven, it was time for the last step.
The Marshmallow Meringue
While the pie was baking, I set five eggs out on the counter so they would be room temperature when I made the meringue. Because meringue requires a delicate touch, I was very precise when following the instructions. Quite frankly, it couldn’t have turned out better — the meringue was glossy, stiff and smooth. Pro tip? You’ll know the meringue is ready when lifting the whisk carries a dollop with it and leaves sharp points in the mixture. Once it reaches the right consistency, you’re ready to dollop it all over the pie and broil until golden brown. Afterwards, all that’s left to do is eat!
The End Result
I’ll admit I was nervous to cut into the pie, but my slice was almost as beautiful as the original — and it tasted better than I expected. The meringue added just the right hint of marshmallow flavor and the overall result was decadent, indulgent and totally impressive. I delivered slices to my parents, boyfriend, aunt and uncle — all of whom gave glowing reviews. To sum it up, my uncle, who chooses pie over cake for his birthday, said the pie hit all the right notes: smooth, light and crunchy with a comforting flavor.
That being said, I’ll admit that this recipe didn’t quite turn me into a pumpkin pie lover. Though I definitely enjoyed this more than any other version I’ve tried, I still wished for more crust and less filling. However, I would definitely take a sliver if I saw this pie on the dessert table — and that’s more than I would have said before this. I’m considering this a win and looking forward to the next holiday challenge — I think these Slice-and-Bake Italian Rainbow Cookies are calling my name…
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