Flaky Pastry Shell
1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour,or Bob’s Red Mill GF all-purpose flour, measured by dip-and-sweep
½ teaspoon pink salt
½ teaspoon organic granulated sugar
10 tablespoons unsalted organic, pasture raised butter
(1 1/4 sticks), chilled and cut into 1/4-inch pats
3 – 3 ½ tablespoons ice water
Pumpkin Filling
2 cups plain organic pumpkin puree (16 ounces)
1 cup packed organic dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cloves or 1 drop of doTerra Clove oil
½ teaspoon table salt
⅔ cup organic heavy cream
⅔ cup Organic Valley Whole Grass Milk
4 large pasture raised, organic eggs
Brandied Whipped Cream
1 ⅓ cups organic heavy cream (cold)
3 tablespoons organic confectioners’ sugar
1 tablespoon brandy (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. For pastry shell: Mix flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor fitted with steel blade or mix in stainless steel bowl and mix with pastry cutter. Scatter butter over dry ingredients; process until mixture resembles cornmeal, 7 to 12 seconds or, if you don’t have a processor, cut butter into flour mixture with pastry cutter until it resembles cornmeal. Turn mixture into a medium-sized bowl.
2. Drizzle 3 tablespoons of ice water over flour mixture. With blade side of a rubber spatula, cut mixture into little balls. Then press down on mixture with broad side of spatula so balls stick together in large clumps. If dough resists gathering, sprinkle remaining water over dry, crumbly patches and press a few more times. Form dough into a ball with your hands; wrap in plastic, then flatten into a 4-inch disk. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. (Can be refrigerated for 2 days or, if sealed airtight in a plastic bag, or frozen for up to 6 months.)
3. Generously sprinkle a 2-foot square work area with flour. Remove dough from wrapping and place disk in center; dust top with flour. (If it has been chilled for more than 1 hour, let dough stand until it gives slightly when pressed, 5 to 10 minutes.) Roll dough in all directions, from center to edges, rotating a quarter turn and strewing flour underneath as necessary after each stroke. Flip disk over when it is 9 inches in diameter and continue to roll (but don’t rotate) in all directions, until it is 13 to 14 inches in diameter and just under 1/8 inch thick.
4. Fold dough in quarters and place the corner in the center of a Pyrex pie plate measuring 9- to 9 1/2-inches across top. Carefully unfold dough to cover pan completely, with excess dough draped over pan lip. With one hand, pick up edges of dough; use index finger of other hand to press dough around pan bottom. Use your fingertips to press dough against pan walls. Trim dough overhanging the pan to an even 1/2 inch all around.
5. Tuck overhanging dough back under itself so folded edge is flush with edge of pan lip. Press double layer of dough with your fingers to seal, then bend up at a 90-degree angle and flute by pressing thumb and index finger about 1/2-inch apart against outside edge of dough, then using index finger (or knuckle) of other hand to poke a dent through the space. Repeat procedure all the way around.
6. Refrigerate for 20 minutes (or freeze for 5 minutes) to firm dough shell. Using table fork, prick bottom and sides — including where they meet — at 1/2-inch intervals. Flatten a 12-inch square of aluminum foil to be placed inside the shell. Prior to placing in the shell, prick the foil with fork in several places and then pressing it on the bottom of crust, flush against corners, sides, and over rim. Chill shell for at least 30 minutes (preferably an hour or more), to allow dough to relax.
7. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. (Start preparing filling when you put shell into oven.) Bake 15 minutes, pressing down on foil with mitt-protected hands to flatten any puffs. Remove foil and bake shell for 8 to 10 minutes longer, or until interior just begins to color.
8. For filling: Process pumpkin, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves (or 1 drop of doTerra clove oil), and salt in a food processor fitted with steel blade for 1 minute or blend in Vitamix for 30 seconds. Transfer pumpkin mixture to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook pumpkin, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5+ minutes. As soon as pie shell comes out of oven, whisk heavy cream and milk into pumpkin mixture and bring to a bare simmer. Process eggs in food processor or Vitamix until whites and yolks are mixed, about 5 seconds. With motor running, slowly pour pumpkin mixture into the food processor or Vitamix. Process 30 seconds longer.
9. Immediately pour warm filling into hot pie shell. (*Ladle any excess filling into pie after it has baked for 5 minutes or so — by this time filling will have settled.) Bake until filling is puffed, dry-looking, and lightly cracked around edges, and center wiggles like gelatin when pie is gently shaken, about 25 minutes. (Pie will continue to cook & settle as it sets out.) Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour.
10. For whipped cream: Beat cream at medium speed to soft peaks; gradually add confectioners’ sugar then brandy. Beat to stiff peaks. Accompany each wedge of pie with a dollop of whipped cream. Or you can use organic whipped almond cream in the can.
