Pumpkin Muffins

Something needed to be done with the leftover pumpkin puree. Muffins sounded like a great idea, and after consulting several sources, the recipe I found on Epicurious was the most appealing. Pumpkin, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, and cloves, studded with golden raisins and pumpkin seeds. While baking, the kitchen smelled like pumpkin pie. I'm looking forward to breakfast tomorrow!

Best Pumpkin Pie

Isn't that the most perfect pumpkin pie you've ever seen?

It's called Yankee Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream from Williams-Sonoma Savoring America.

This is the same recipe I used last year, but for whatever reason it came out amazing, and my mom said it was the best pumpkin pie she's ever had. I did change a couple of things from the original recipe: 1) I switched out the heavy cream for evaporated milk and 2) I used only butter in the crust instead of a combination of butter and shortening (since that's all I had).

Williams-Sonoma Yankee Pumpkin Pie (with Laura's Alterations)

1 3/4 cups pureed pumpkin

pastry for a singe crust 9-inch pie (recipe follows)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

4 tsp flour

3/4 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg

pinch of ground cloves

pinch of salt

1 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup maple syrup

3 eggs, lightly beaten

3/4 tsp vanilla

Maple Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream

3 Tbl maple syrup

• On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the pie pastry into a 14-inch round. Drape the pastry around the pin and carefully ease it into the pie dish, pressing it into the bottom and sides. Trim the overhang so that it extends 3/4 inch beyond the edge of the the pie dish rim. Roll the overhang under and crimp attractively. Freeze pie shell for 30 minutes.
• Heat over to 425ºF. Line the frozen pie shell with foil, fill with pie weights or dried beans, and bake until set to the touch, about 15 minutes. Remove the weights and foil and continue to bake until golden, 4-5 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack and let cool. Reduce oven temperature to 325ºF.
• In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and whisk until smooth. Add the evaporated milk, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla and whisk until just smooth. Pour into the cooled pie shell.
• Bake until the center jiggles slightly when the dish is nudged, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a rack and let cool.
• To make the whipped cream, in a chilled bowl, using an electric mixer, beat cream until soft peaks form, about 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and continue to beat until well blended and the cream forms soft peaks, about 30 seconds longer. OR pour cream and maple syrup into a cream whipper (such as isi) and dispense.

Pie Pastry For Single-Crust Pie

1 1/4 cups flour

1 Tbl granulated sugar

1/2 tsp salt

7 Tbl chilled butter cut into little pieces

3 Tbl very cold water

• Throw all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the dough thumps together into a ball.
• Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and shape into a 5-inch disk. Wrap the disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.