Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie

 Ingredients:

• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (2.5 oz / 71g) 
• 1/3 cup honey (4 oz/ 113g) 
• 3/4 cup heavy cream (6 oz /170g), at room temperature 
• 4 large eggs (7 oz /200g), at room temperature 
• 1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar (1.8 oz /50g) 
• 1 (15oz/ 425g) can unsweetened pumpkin puree 
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon 
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 1 teaspoon  kosher salt (0.11 oz /3g) 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice 
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg 

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°.
2. Brown the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.  
3. Add honey and cook until it darkens some and you smell a savory nutty flavor. 
4. Remove from heat and slowly add the cream.
5. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs. 
6. Add the brown sugar to the eggs and whisk until slightly lightened in color and foamy.
7. Add the pumpkin to the egg/sugar, then add the salt, spices and vanilla extract. Whisk really well to incorporate.
8. Slowly add the hot mixture to the egg mixture. Whisk as you add. 
9. Pout into your pie crust and bake at 325° for 45-60 minutes. 
10. It's done when the entire surface has puffed and is slightly domed and there is a slight wobble still in the pie. 

 

Fresh milled wheat pie crust

 Ingredients:

• 240g soft white wheat, sifted through a #40 sifter (You should mill around 320g, both for the loss after sifting, and also for some extra for working with the dough when rolling it out)
  
• 1 Tbs sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
  
• 2 sticks cold butter
• 80-120g very cold water (1/3 - 1/2 cup) 

Directions: 

• Mill your flour and sift.
• Chill flour in the freezer or fridge (milling flour heats it up).
  
• In the bowl of a stand mixer/paddle attachment or food processor/metal blade, briefly pulse or whisk the flour, sugar and salt. 
• Add the butter pieces and mix until they are about thumb-nail size. You can also do this by hand by smashing all of the butter pieces with your thumb or a spoon. Then add the cold water and mix for just a few seconds until the water is incorporated.
• Flour your counter and remove the dough from your bowl. Bring it together and knead the dough about 5 times.
• Flour the counter again and the dough on all sides. With a rolling pin, roll the dough into a rectangle about 1/2" thick. Cut the dough in half, and fold each half into two small squares. Wrap them and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to three days. You can freeze the dough for up to three months. 
• After dough is chilled, roll out into desired pie shape/size.
  

 

Brown Bag Apple Pie

 
Ingredients: 
Bottom Crust:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cold water, or more as needed

Pie Filling:  

• 5 pounds Granny Smith apples - peeled, cored and thinly sliced  
• 1/2 cup brown sugar 
•  2 tablespoons all-purpose flour  
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg  
• 1 pinch ground ginger  
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice  
• 2 tablespoons graham cracker crumbs

  Pie Topping:

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup softened butter
• 1/2 cup superfine sugar
• 2 12x30-inch pieces of parchment paper
  
  
   Directions:
  1. To make the bottom crust, stir the flour and white sugar together in a bowl until well-combined. Rub the unsalted butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle with cold water, a couple of tablespoons at a time, mixing the dough together lightly with a fork until it barely holds together.
  2. Form the dough into a ball and roll it out to a circle about 1/8-inch thick. Gently ease the dough into an 8-inch pie dish. Cut off any excess pastry with a knife. Finish the edge of the crust by gently pressing the tines of a fork into the dough all the way around the edge of the pie dish. Set the crust aside.
  3. To make the pie filling, stir the apples, brown sugar, 2 tablespoons of flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and lemon juice together in a large bowl; set aside.
  4. To make the topping, mix 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of softened butter, and the superfine sugar together in a bowl until you have a sticky, moist dough.
  5. To assemble the pie, cover the bottom of the pie crust with a light, even layer of graham cracker crumbs. Fill the pie with the apple mixture, piling it up in a mound shape. Pinch off pieces of the topping mixture, flatten them a little with your fingers, and dot them at random all over the top of the filling, covering as much of the filling as possible.
  6. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
  7. Tear off 2 30-inch-long pieces of parchment paper and place them in a cross shape on a work surface. Place the filled pie in the center of the two pieces of parchment, bring the paper ends up over the pie and fold and staple the parchment paper over the pie to completely enclose and seal in the pie. The paper should not touch the top or sides of the pie. Place the parchment-wrapped pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips.
  8. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Don't peek inside the parchment paper while baking. Remove from the oven, carefully tear the parchment paper away from the pie, and let cool; serve warm. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
   
  

Homemade Pie Crust

Ingredients:

• 2 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoons salt
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• 3/4 cup  coconut oil (should be solid at room temperature, chill if your house is warm)
• 1/2 - ice water

Directions:

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a large bowl. Add cold unsalted butter and shortening. Using a pastry blender or two forks, cut the butter and shortening until the mixture resembled coarse meal.
2. Slowly drizzle in the very cold water 1 Tablespoon at a time, stirring with a large spatula after every Tablespoon of water that you add. You  may need up to 2/3 cup of ice water. Do not add any more water than you need to. Stop adding water when the dough begins to clump. I usually use around 1/2 cup.
3. Roll out the dough on a floured work surface. The dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky. Form the dough into a ball. Divide in half. Flatten each half into 1-inch thick discs using your hands. Wrap each tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour (or up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 2 weeks).
4. Proceed with the pie per your recipe's instructions.

Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie

 Ingredients:

• 2 cups canned pumpkin purée
• 1 1/2 cup heavy cream or 1 12 oz. can of evaporated milk (cream tastes MUCH better)
• 1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs plus the yolk of a third egg
• 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest
• 1 pie crust
• 1 16 oz carton of heavy whipping cream
• 1/4 cup real maple syrup

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F
2. Mix sugars, salt, and spices, and lemon zest in a large bowl. Beat the eggs and add to the bowl. Stir in the pumpkin purée. Stir in cream. Whisk all together until well incorporated.
3. Pour into pie shell and bake at 425°F for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes reduce the temperature to 350°F. Bake 40-50 minutes, or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.
4. Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours. Note that the pumpkin pie will come out of the oven all puffed up (from the leavening of the eggs), and will deflate as it cools.
5. Put 16 oz heavy whipping cream into a bowl or stand mixer. 
6. Add 1/4 cup maple syrup.
7. Beat on high for 2 minutes or until stiff peaks form. 
8. Serve pie with whipped cream!

Bourbon Pecan Pie

This pie is so easy to make. And what could be better than bourbon in a desert?

Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup dark corn syrup
3 large eggs, beaten
1 1/2 to 2 cups pecan halves
2 tablespoons good-quality bourbon
1 (9-inch) deep-dish pie shell, unbaked

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. In a medium bowl, stir together the sugar and melted butter.
3. Add the corn syrup, eggs, pecans, and bourbon, and stir until all ingredients are combined.
4. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell, and place on a heavy-duty cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 10 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and continue to bake for an additional 25-30 minutes, or until pie is set.
6. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
7. Enjoy!