Pumpkin Pie in a Hazelnut Cocoa Crust

Although I made this pumpkin pie quite awhile ago, I thought it was an appropriate post as the day of pumpkin pies and turkey dies looms ahead. I should say that I got a lot of contradicting comments, compliments and criticism on this pie. Some people thought the amount of spice was perfect, others found it a tad overwhelming. Some people loved the cocoa hazelnut crust, but a couple preferred my usual butter and flour crust. So, when I bake this pie for Thanksgiving, I will probably go with my usual crust -- or find a way to use Nutella in the crust, use less spice and find a different way to integrate the hazelnut and cocoa (perhaps instead of whipped cream use a chocolate ganache covered in chopped hazelnuts?).

Crust (as seen on this website):
1 C flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cocoa
1/4 butter or shortening
1 C finely chopped or ground roasted hazelnuts
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 c cold water

Sift flour, salt and cocoa together. Cut in shortening/butter. Add vanilla and hazelnuts, then add the cold water. Roll together in a ball, place in plastic wrap or sealed container in the refrigerator.

Pie filling:

Equpiment:

large serated knife

large double boiler or large microwaveable bowl

ice cream scoop

food processor


Ingredients:

1 "sugar" or baking pumpkin - to yield 3 cups of pureed pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1.5 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground allspice
one half teaspoon ground ginger
one half teaspoon salt 4 large eggs
1 can (12oz) of evaporated milk














Cut the pumpkin in half vertically, and scoop out seeds and stringy insides. Scrape the walls of the pumpkin clean (and cut off the stem). If these two pieces fit into your double boiler or large microwaveable bowl, great. If not, try cutting each of them in half again. Supposedly the larger the pieces of pumpkin, the easier it is to scrape out the cooked pumpkin. Whatever, it was hard for me anyway.


Set the pumpkin in the double boiler or microwave (on high) to steam and cook for 20-30 minutes. If you're microwaving it, check at 15 minutes and then keep going in small increments of time. I would NOT advise checking to see how soft it is by pressing your finger in the flesh. Unless you enjoy holding an ice cube to your finger while cooking, because it WILL burn you.



In the meantime, mix the sugar, spices, egg and milk together in a VERY large bowl. Yes, it will be sloshy and liquidy, but this is OK! Also use this time to roll the crust out. I have learned that using two sheets of wax paper around the crust when rolling it out is a much more sanitary, efficient way to roll out a crust. And when it's time to place the crust in the pie pan, all you have to do place the whole crust with the wrapping on it (on one side only!!) in the pan, then press it down and remove the wrapping.





















When the pumpkin is done cooking it, use the ice cream scoop or sturdy spoon to scrape out the cooked flesh until you have about 4 cups worth. Then place this in the food processor and puree until you achieve a smooth texture. I did not achieve this smooth texture, and someone pointed that out to me when they ate the pie.



Add the pumpkin to the pie filling mixture to the crust in the pie pan. Don't worry about how liquified it is. It will set up while cooking and even more so after it cools.



Bake this for 15 minutes on 425 degrees then lower it to 350 for another 45-60 minutes. Check to see how cooked it is the usual way -- inserting something and seeing if it comes out clean.

I would absolutely advise waiting until the pie cools completely before eating it. I was mortified by how my freshly cooked slice tasted and felt, but the next day when I had a slice, I was surprisingly delighted.


Enjoy!