Pumpkin Pie with Honey-Orange Whipped Cream
- MakesMakes one 9-inch pie
- Cook Time1 hour 40 minutes
- Active time plus cooling40 minutes active, plus cooling
- 5
We love pumpkin pie, but we don’t love how dense, cloying and overspiced it can be. We wanted a lighter, fresher take with a pronounced pumpkin flavor. Canned pumpkin puree was a great place to start, but we intensified its flavor by giving it a quick sauté with dark brown sugar. This cooks off excess moisture and lends caramel notes to the mixture. A little bourbon adds complexity that complements the earthiness of the pumpkin and brown sugar, but an equal amount of orange juice works well, too. To give the filling tang and richness, we add crème fraîche instead of the typical evaporated milk. Honey-sweetened, citrus-scented whipped cream (recipe follows) is the perfect accompaniment.
Don’t use canned pumpkin pie filling for this recipe. Look for unsweetened canned pumpkin puree; the only ingredient listed should be pumpkin. After adding the bourbon to the skillet, stir carefully if you're using a gas burner, as splashes may cause the liquid to ignite. If this happens, the flames will extinguish after a few seconds, once the alcohol has burned off.
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