Spiced Pumpkin Pie

Updated June 6, 2024

Spiced Pumpkin Pie
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Barrett Washburne. Prop Stylist: Courtney de Wet.
Total Time
3 hours, plus chilling
Rating
4(880)
Comments
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Most pumpkin pies rely entirely on ground spices for their heady flavor. In this one, whole spices (star anise, clove, cinnamon and black peppercorns) are infused into cream, which gives it a more interesting, nuanced character, while a hit of ground ginger added at the end makes it particularly intense. You can make the filling and par-bake the crust the day before, but this pie is best assembled and baked on the day you plan to serve it. If you can, use a high-fat, European-style butter for the crust. It really makes a difference.

Featured in: Melissa Clark's Thanksgiving

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

    For the Crust

    • cups/160 grams all-purpose flour
    • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
    • 10tablespoons/140 grams unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
    • 2 to 4tablespoons ice water, as needed

    For the Filling

    • 1cup heavy cream
    • 1cinnamon stick
    • 2petals from a star-anise pod (not the whole pod)
    • 1whole clove
    • 1tablespoon grated fresh ginger
    • 1teaspoon cardamom pods
    • ½teaspoon whole black peppercorns
    • cups pumpkin or butternut squash purée (homemade or from a 15-ounce can)
    • ¾cup/165 grams dark brown sugar
    • 2large eggs
    • 2large egg yolks
    • 2tablespoons dark rum
    • 2teaspoons ground ginger
    • ½teaspoon kosher salt
    • ¼teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

465 calories; 28 grams fat; 17 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 8 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 49 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 23 grams sugars; 6 grams protein; 231 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Make the crust: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour and salt. Using your fingers, rub in the butter until it is the size of peas. Drizzle in water until the dough comes together when squeezed.

  2. Step 2

    Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface. Working a palm-size chunk at a time, use the heel of your hand to smear the dough across the work surface. Continue until all the dough has been smeared, then gather it all together, flatten into a disk, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

  3. Step 3

    On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate; fold the edges over and crimp. Prick crust all over with a fork and chill for at least 30 minutes.

  4. Step 4

    Heat oven to 425 degrees. Line chilled crust with foil and pie weights, then bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake until pale golden, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Transfer to a rack to cool. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees.

  5. Step 5

    Make the filling: In a medium pot, combine the cream, cinnamon stick, star anise petals, clove, fresh ginger, cardamom and peppercorns, and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat, cover, and let steep for 1 hour. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl.

  6. Step 6

    Whisk in pumpkin, brown sugar, eggs, yolks, rum, ground ginger, salt and nutmeg. Pour into par-baked shell, transfer to a baking sheet, and bake until crust is golden and center is slightly jiggly, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool completely before serving.

Ratings

4 out of 5
880 user ratings
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Comments

To save time, do step 5 right after Step 3 because the spicy cream mixture in Step 5 has to steep for 1 whole hour!

I make the filling in the food processor. It creates a smooth, creamy filling. Make the pie crust in the food processor, wipe it out and add all the filling ingredients. Refrigerate both overnight. The filling needs a day for the spices to get even more delicious.

Is it possible to make the crust ahead of time, parbake, and freeze? Can I also make the filling one day ahead and leave in fridge until ready to bake? or... should i just bake it the day before?

Never Again. Huge Melissa Clark fan, but this is just not worth the effort. Honestly, this pie broke me. I roasted a squash, steeped all the fresh, expensive spices, let everything bloom in the fridge for two days - and while the flavor was more sophisticated, next time I am going with a store-bought crust and the Libby's recipe.

I used ground spices and added them in. I did use fresh ginger and it gave it a nice kick.

I was hoping this would end up in my bookmarks as “THE pumpkin pie”, but unfortunately I am still searching. Hated the rum in this, next time I would likely leave that out. It completely overwhelmed the rest of the flavors. The pie crust was a dream - easy to make and work with, however, pricking the bottom was not enough to keep it from bubbling, I’ll have to figure something else out in the future.

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