Ben’s
Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
A different take on a fall classic. Author, and pie-expert Ken Haedrich talked to Tonia about taking the seasonal pumpkin pie one step further, by turning it into a cheesecake pie! It adds cream cheese to an already delicious treat. Ken, the author of "Pie" told Tonia told bake it "low and slow" so the eggs needed to make the pie won't curdle. For more information, Ken invites you to visit his website
www.thepieacademy.com
Ingredients:
Crust:
- 1 recipe Cornmeal Pie Pastry, Single Crust (see below),
refrigerated
Filling:
- One 8-ounce package full-fat cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk, at room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup pumpkin puree, canned or fresh 2/3 cup light cream or half-and-half
Directions:
1. If you haven’t already, prepare the pastry and refrigerate
until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
2. On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the pastry into
a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a
91/2-inch deep-dish pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the
pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it
is slightly higher than the rim. Place in the freezer for 15 minutes,
then partially prebake and let cool according to the instructions on
page 16. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the cream cheese, gradually
beating in the sugars.
Blend in the eggs and egg yolk, one at a time, on medium speed.
Blend in the vanilla, lemon zest, spices, and salt. Add the pumpkin
and cream and blend until smooth and evenly mixed. Pour the filling
into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top.
4. Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 20 minutes.
Rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of
the oven now faces forward. Bake for about 20 minutes more, until the
top has puffed slightly and perhaps cracked around the perimeter. The
center may seem a little wobbly, but it should not be soupy.
5. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool to room
temperature. Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate
for at least 4 hours or overnight before serving.
Cornmeal Pie Pastry
MAKES A SINGLE CRUST FOR A 9-INCH STANDARD PIE OR 9 1/ 2-INCH
DEEP-DISH PIE
Ingredients:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into
- 1/4-inch pieces
- 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
- 1/4 cup cold buttermilk
Directions:
1.
To Make in a Food Processor: Put the flour, cornmeal,
sugar, and salt in the food processor. Pulse several times to mix.
Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse 5 or 6 times to
cut it in. Fluff the mixture with a folk, lifting it up from the
bottom of the bowl. Scatter the shortening over the flour and pulse 5
or 6 times. Fluff the mixture again. Drizzle half of the buttermilk
over the flour mixture and pulse 4 or 5 times. Fluff the mixture and
sprinkle with the remaining buttermilk. Pulse again, briefly, until
the dough forms clumps. It will be damper than some crusts you’ve
seen because of the buttermilk. Dump the contents of the processor
into a large, shallow bowl.
To Make By Hand: Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and
salt in a large bowl. Toss well, by hand, to mix. Scatter the butter
over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using a pastry blender, 2
knives, or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour
until it is broken into pieces the size of split peas. Add the
shortening and continue to cut until all the fat is cut into small
pieces. Sprinkle half of the buttermilk over the dry mixture. Toss
well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining buttermilk
and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom
of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the
downstroke. If it seems necessary, add a bit more buttermilk until
the pastry can be packed.
To Make with an Electric Mixer: Combine the flour,
cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, tossing it
with the flour. With the mixer on low speed, blend the butter into
the flour until you have what looks like coarse, damp meal, with both
large and small clumps. Add the shortening and repeat. Turning the
mixer on and off, add half of the buttermilk. Mix briefly on low
speed. Add the remaining buttermilk, mixing slowly until the dough
starts to form large clumps. If you’re using a stand mixer, stop
periodically to stir the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl. Do
not overmix.
2. Using your hands, pack the pastry into a ball (or 2 if you’re
making a double crust) as you would pack a snowball. If you’re
making a double crust, make one ball slightly larger than the other;
this will be your bottom crust. Knead each ball once or twice, then
flatten the balls into 3/4-inch-thick disks on a floured work
surface. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least an
hour or overnight before rolling.
