Beyond the Book: Pumpkin Pie

Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Yes, I know it isn't Thanksgiving yet, but I've already started thinking about my menu so this seemed like a good time to share recipes.

My menu doesn’t vary too much from year to year. We always have turkey with all the trimmings, including some homemade gravy and cranberry sauce. I have a broccoli casserole that I always make for my grandson, an orange pineapple salad that people love, green beans, mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and anything else someone might request. The star of the whole show as far as I’m concerned is the pumpkin pie.

I’ve been making this recipe for thirty-five years, and everyone always goes back for seconds. I got the recipe from a little cookbook that came in our local newspaper. The paper ran a cooking contest one year, and this pie was in that cookbook.  It would be my pleasure to share this recipe with you. If you don’t have a special recipe yourself, you might want to try it.  I promise people will love it.

Praline Pumpkin Pie

1 16 oz. can pumpkin

1 1/3 cups evaporated milk, undiluted

1/3 cup honey

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice (may substitute allspice if you wish)

In a large bowl mix pumpkin, milk, honey, sugar, eggs and pumpkin pie spice with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour into unbaked 10 inch pie shell. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Bake 35 minutes or until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool on rack and chill

Praline Topping:

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp allspice

¼ cup pecans

2 T. water

In a small saucepan cook all the ingredients until golden brown. Pour onto greased foil. Cool. Chop.

Spread Cool Whip over the pie and top with the chopped pralines.

Notes:

I always double the praline recipe. 

If you like you can go a step further and make a real whipped cream topping. Here’s the recipe for that.

Whipped Cream Topping

1 tsp. unflavored gelatin

½ cup dark rum or praline liqueur

1 cup whipping cream

¼ cup confectioner’s sugar

In a small saucepan sprinkle 1 tsp. gelatin over the rum. Heat to dissolve gelatin. Cool. In another bowl combine 1 cup cream, ¼ cup confectioner’s sugar, and rum mixture. Beat until stiff peaks form. Chill. Before using stir until fluffy. Spoon onto center of chilled pie and sprinkle with praline topping. 

What about all of you? Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving recipe?

Beyond the Book: Pumpkin PIe

Hi, there, readers. My name is Dr. Kathryn Sinclair, and I'm Elaine's heroine in her upcoming release Blue 52. I have to complain about that Prince Alan from The Enchanted. He's hosted so often that he thinks he owns Beyond the Book!  I had to argue like crazy with him before he'd let me share a recipe with you. LOL. Here I am, though.

One of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes is pumpkin pie. We have it every year, and there's never any left over. Would you like to see my recipe? I have a simple secret that elevates this pie from just good to sublime.  Here you are, and I hope each and every one of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

 Pumpkin Pie

Pie:

1 16 oz can pumpkin

1 1/3 cups evaporated milk undiluted

1/3 cup honey

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

In large bowl mix all ingredients with a wire whisk. Pour into unbaked 10 inch pie shell. Preheat over to 425. Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350. Bake 35 minutes or more until knife inserted comes out clean. Cool on rack and chill.


Topping:

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp allspice

¼ cup pecans chopped

2 TBSP water

In a small pan cook all ingredients until golden brown. Pour onto greased foil. Chill and chop. Put cool whip on top of the pie and sprinkle the topping on the cool whip. I always doubled the topping recipe.