Fluffy Pumpkin Pie From Julia Child’s Aunt Helen, Via Julia Moskin Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

When making pumpkin pie Why is it important to let the filling sit overnight before baking? ›

To that end, we've found that refrigerating pumpkin pie filling overnight before using it not only enhances the spices' flavors, but also mellows them.

Although they both come in cans and the packaging looks almost identical, they can't be used interchangeably. Pumpkin puree doesn't have anything added to it, but pumpkin pie filling comes with pumpkin spice and sugar already mixed in.

Why Is My Pumpkin Pie Weeping? Another common problem that occurs when baking pumpkin pie is when you notice water on the top of the pie or leaking out from the filling. Why this happens: Either the pie was overbaked, or it was placed in the fridge before cooling completely.

Although she doesn't often stray from traditional flavors, her pumpkin pie recipe is actually pretty unique. The classic warm spices — cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg — are there, but what makes Ina's recipe special is the addition of orange zest and dark rum.

While not traditional or really necessary due to the time pumpkin custard takes to cook, you can avoid a 'soggy' bottomed pumpkin pie, by laying down some parchment paper in the shell, fill it with pie weights or old beans, wrapping the edges with foil then par baking the crust for 10-15 minutes at 425ºF.

Too many pumpkin pies have soggy crusts that never fully brown. To avoid this, recipes often call for blind baking your crust. That is, baking the empty crust before the filling is added. This gives the crust time to firm up and brown, time it typically doesn't get if the faster cooking filling is added first.

Don't use pumpkin pie filling in place of pumpkin purée.

Every can of pumpkin pie filling has a different amount of sugar and spices and if you add it to a bread or muffin recipe you might get a very sweet and not-spiced-enough loaf. Try this instead: Buy pumpkin purée!

Pumpkin pie filling shouldn't be used in place of pumpkin puree since the finished dish will be too sweet. You can always set the can aside to make a quick pumpkin pie another day.

Canned pumpkin and pumpkin puree are the same thing. These terms are often used interchangeably in recipes, though you may also see the term solid-pack pumpkin. All these terms mean 100% steamed and pureed pumpkin—no extras, no add-ins—not even in the canned variety.

Any oven setting over 350 degrees F is likely overdoing it for a pumpkin pie. Baking in a too-hot oven makes the custard puff up like a soufflé and then fall when it cools.

How do you keep the bottom of a pumpkin pie from getting soggy? ›

Often, blind-baking solves this problem. If you're making a single crust custard-filled pie, like a pumpkin pie, bake the pie dough first before adding filling to allow some of the moisture in the crust to evaporate. You can also totally blind-bake fruit pies.

Signs Your Pumpkin Pie is Overcooked

While a wobbly, runny pie is a telltale sign that a pumpkin pie is undercooked, an overcooked pumpkin pie is a bit harder to spot. When you've overcooked a pumpkin pie, you may see: The filling separating from the crust. The filling has visible cracks.

Patti Labelle's Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe- Southern Soul Food

Distinctive dishes are precisely prepared, using fresh ingredients.

Yes, canned pumpkin can be labeled as 100% pure pumpkin or just as pumpkin puree. They are the same product. Both canned pumpkin puree and pie filling are useful, shelf-stable ingredients that can help speed up your kitchen prep time. Just remember that puree is unsweetened, while pie filling contains sugar and spices.

FDA says to leave pumpkin pie out no more then 2 hours and then put it in the refrigerator. It's a good idea to cover it up also.

Let the pumpkin pie cool at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Once the pumpkin pie is cool to the touch, loosely wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the pumpkin pie in the refrigerator and store it there for up to 4 days.

9. Let them rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight. Resting them in the fridge allows the gluten to settle and the moisture to despurse evenly throughout the pie crust.

Top tip! Bring pie filling up to room temperature before adding it to the pie shell, firstly to make it easier to spread it evenly in the pie dish, and secondly because when puff pastry is placed over cold filling it cooks unevenly.