dessertsMegan VanDykepumpkin, custard, meringue, ginger snap

Pumpkin Custard Pie with Brown Sugar Meringue

dessertsMegan VanDykepumpkin, custard, meringue, ginger snap
Pumpkin Custard Pie with Brown Sugar Meringue

I am not a fan of pumpkin pie. Every year I convince myself it's good, take a few bites and remember why I don't like it. That mushy, weird, baby food consistency. Not a pudding, but not thick like a pecan pie. Sometimes cold, sometimes room temperature, pumpkin pie just doesn't appeal to me. Last year I bought a sugar pumpkin, went through the trouble of roasting it thinking maybe it's the canned pumpkin that I don't like. All that work for nothing. I'm sure the pie was good, if you like pumpkin pie. I ate one piece and the rest sat around until it grew mold and ended up in the trash bin.

So this is my homage to pumpkin pie. A pumpkin pudding with a brown sugar meringue. A much smoother consistency with a light marshmallow meringue topping. The best part? The ginger snap crust. Seriously I'll never use graham crackers for a cheesecake ever again.

Start with the glazed pecans. These are so yummy and super easy. In a nonstick pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter. Add 1 tablespoon of brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Combine and cook until it starts to bubble. Add 1 cup of pecan halves and stir to coat well. Pour pecans onto parchment paper in a single layer and allow to cool.

To make the gingersnap crust, pulse 2/3 of a box of gingersnaps in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. Pour into a large mixing bowl. Add three tablespoons of melted butter and stir to fully combine. Crust will be the consistency of wet sand. Press into the bottom and sides of a pie pan. Bake the crust at 375 degrees for 10 minutes or until crust has set. When crust has cooled, arrange glazed pecans on the bottom.

Prepare vanilla pudding according to package directions. When pudding has cooked, stir in 1 cup of canned pumpkin puree, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg and 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger. Pour custard over the pecan halves in the pie crust.

For the meringue, add three room temperature egg whites, 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar (to stabilize the meringue) and a pinch of salt to a mixing bowl for a stand mixer or a large bowl for a hand mixer. Beat egg white mixture with a whisk attachment or a hand mixer until soft peaks have formed. Add 1/3 cup of brown sugar, 1 spoonful at a time while mixing on high speed until stiff peaks have formed. Spoon meringue over custard using a spoon to create peaks.

Cook pie at 350 degrees until meringue is browned, about 15 minutes. Cool completely before refrigerating. Refrigerate at least two hours before serving.

Recipe

Pumpkin Custard Pie with Brown Sugar Meringue

By , November 15, 2014
Prep time: 30 minutes Cook time: 15 minutes Yield: 8 servings
Pumpkin custard in a ginger snap crust with brown sugar meringue! Nom nom! pumpkin, meringue, ginger snap, pie, custard

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1 tablespoon of brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1 cup of pecan halves
  • 3 cups of ginger snap cookies (about 2 cups when crushed)
  • 3 tablespoons of butter, melted
  • 1 package of cook and serve vanilla pudding
  • 2 cups of milk
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg
  • 1/2 teaspoon of ginger
  • 3 egg whites at room temperature
  • 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract
  • 1/4 teaspoon of cream of tartar
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1/3 cup of brown sugar

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
  2. In a small non stick pan, melt 1 tablespoon of butter with brown sugar, maple syrup, and cinnamon
  3. When sugar and butter are bubbling, stir in pecan halves and coat well
  4. Cool pecans on parchment paper in a single layer
  5. Crush ginger snap cookies in a food processor until they become a fine crumb
  6. Stir in three tablespoons of melted butter and press into bottom and sides of a pie plate
  7. Bake crust for 10 minutes or until set
  8. Turn oven down to 350
  9. Add pudding mix and milk to a medium sized sauce pan and cook according to directions
  10. When pudding is thickened, add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg, and ginger
  11. Arrange cooled pecan halves over crust, pour pudding mix overtop
  12. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment or a large bowl with a hand mixer, combine egg whites, vanilla extract, cream of tartar, and a pinch of salt
  13. Mix on medium high speed until soft peaks are formed
  14. While mixing on high speed, add brown sugar one spoonful at a time until stiff peaks are formed and sugar is well incorporated
  15. Top pie with meringue, using the back of a spoon to create peaks
  16. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until meringue is evenly browned
  17. Cool pie on a wire rack and when completely cool refrigerate at least two hours before serving
Yum

Useful tools for this recipe:

Too low to display
 
$99.00
 

Sharing our culinary adventures in Cascadia with simple, sustainable & satisfying eats. Bon Appétit!

dessertsMegan VanDykenomsComment

Francis Linsner’s Oatmeal Cookies

This recipe is top secret, in fact this post will self destruct in 10 minutes...seriously though, this recipe is special. Everyone has that one recipe in their family. The one that's been passed down, talked about, maybe even kept secret? For my family it has got to be my Great Grandma Linsner's oatmeal cookies. This recipe has been passed down four generations now, and baking and eating these cookies feels like a connection to my Great Grandma. I can imagine Francis Linsner making these cookies in her own kitchen, mixing the batter, baking dozens of cookies for family and friends.

dessertsMegan VanDykenomsComment
Francis Linsner’s Oatmeal Cookies
dessertsMegan VanDykepumpkin, pumpkin stout, brownies, beer, dessertComment

Pumpkin Beer Brownies

Pumpkin. Beer. Brownies. You read that right. In this case, pumpkin cappuccino beer brownies. OMG. These are insanely good. One of the things Ryan and I miss most from Michigan (apart from friends and family of course) is the beer. There are so many great microbreweries in West Michigan and we've found some great beers that we are very loyal to. Unfortunately, none of those beers make it this far west. As we explore the Pacific Northwest beer scene we get to sample some really great and unusual beers. One of these is Elysian Brewing's Punkuccino. A pumpkin cappuccino stout. It's like my two favorite beverages (coffee and beer) had a tryst in a pumpkin patch. I mean this in the best possible way. The beer is excellent and was the inspiration for this recipe.

dessertsMegan VanDykepumpkin, pumpkin stout, brownies, beer, dessertComment
Pumpkin Beer Brownies
dessertsMegan VanDykeapple, cranberry, dessert, cooking for twoComment

Cranberry Apple Crisp for Two

Does this happen to you? You're up late, watching a movie, and your sweet tooth strikes. There's nothing in the pantry, and a handful of chocolate chips from your baking supply seems like a poor solution. I've tried easy microwave mug cakes, cookies, and brownies...something about them is just strange. They remind me of the end result of the 1980's Easy Bake Oven of my childhood. Sure it looked like a cake, but it definitely tasted like it was baked with a lightbulb. What I really want when this happens is something sweet that tastes like a lot of effort went into it.

dessertsMegan VanDykeapple, cranberry, dessert, cooking for twoComment
Cranberry Apple Crisp for Two