"If people could see how their food is produced, they would change how they eat."
--Michael Pollan
Seasonal Recipes
Pumpkin Pecan Pie
Every year I try to make my Thanksgiving meal, more seasonal and more local than the year before. I accomplish this in two ways. One, by continuing to grow more and more of the ingredients I need, or by finding local farmers who grow them. The second way is to change what I serve. Since Thanksgiving is a meal full of tradition, this step is harder than trying to grow my own wheat, grinding it into flour, baking it into corn bread to use in my stuffing and pie crusts. Over the years I have found that small adjustments to the meal are the easiest way change my family's expectation for this feast. For example years ago I stopped serving green beans, since they are not in season here in Nashville in late November. Now I serve whatever green thing is abundant in my garden at the time. This year it will be kale.
This year I decided to tinker with dessert. Instead of the Chocolate Nut Pie, I usually serve, I will be making Pumpkin Pecan Pie. I will use a buttercup squash from my garden, which is much more local than chocolate. And the pecans came from Georgia, which is a lot closer to Nashville than California, where the almonds for the Chocolate Nut Pie come from.
Note: While buttercup squash is not a pumpkin, I have found that any winter squash with deep orange flesh works fine in recipes calling for pumpkin.
For filling
1 single pie crust
2 eggs, beaten
3/8 cup brown rice syrup
3/8 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
7/8 cup pecans chopped
1 cup pumpkin
For topping
3/8 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
Line a greased 9 inch pie pan with crust. Combine all filling ingredients except nuts, beat with electric mixed until blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into unbaked pastry shell. Cut butter into brown sugar, add 3/8 cup chopped pecans. Sprinkle over top of pie. Cover edges of crust with foil. Bake at 350° for 60 to 75 minutes, removing foil for the last 10 minutes. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Posted on November 29, 2009
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