The Star of the Thanksgiving Table, from Boston’s Best Baker

Ah, Boston, that perfectly preserved Colonial town, located not far from Plymouth, where the pilgrims first docked. So it’s only fitting that this recipe for that most quintessential of Thanksgiving desserts comes from Boston, MA’s most renowned baker, Judy Rosenberg. The owner of the beloved series of Rosie’s Bakery shops, and author of the new Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book, Judy knows a thing or two about overcoming holiday pie anxiety. And you can turn out a worry-free, pumpkin-perfect pie by following her simple steps below.

Deep-Dish Pumpkin Pie

Makes 10 to 12 servings

Single-crust Basic Pie Crust 1 (recipe follows)
1 can (15 ounces) unsweetened pumpkin puree
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons (lightly packed) dark brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons molasses
1 1/4 cups evaporated milk
3 large eggs, at room temperature

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and a baking sheet on the bottom rack, and preheat to 375°.

2. Roll out the crust. Fit it into a deep-dish pie pan and lightly prebake (see Note below). Let cool before filling. Leave the oven on.

3. Whisk the pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, and salt together in a large bowl. Whisk the molasses, milk, and eggs, whisking vigorously until smooth.

4. Pour the filling into the pie shell. Cover the edge of the crust with aluminum foil. Bake the pie until the top is shiny and set and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 1 hour.

5. Carefully remove the foil. Let the pie cool on a rack. Serve the pie warm, cold, or at room temperature.

Basic Pie Crust 1

Makes one 9-inch, standard or deep dish crust

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, cold, cut into 9 pieces
3 tablespoons ice water

1. Place the flour and salt in a food processor and process to blend for 20 seconds. (Or whisk them together by hand in a large mixing bowl.)

2. Distribute the butter evenly over the flour and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 15 to 20 seconds. (Or rub the butter into the flour with your fingertips or cut it in with a pastry blender.)

3. With the food processor running, pour the ice water in a steady stream through the feed tube and process just until the dough comes together. (Or sprinkle the water over the mixture while tossing with a fork.)

4. Knead the dough for several turns on a lightly floured surface to bring it together.

5. Shape the dough into a thick disk, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

6. Roll the chilled dough for the bottom crust out to a circle 2 inches bigger than the size of the pie pan.

7. Fit the rolled dough into a 9-inch pie pan and trim the edges. Keep the crust in the refrigerator until ready to fill. If prebaking the crust (see Note below), refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes before baking.

Note: Lightly prebaking the crust: If you’re going to fill this crust and bake it again, cut the step 3 baking time in the Pumpkin Pie recipe to 12 minutes. In step 4, stop when the crust is very lightly golden, after about 3 minutes.

__________________________________________________

Find 248 more mouthwatering recipes for the holidays and beyond in Judy’s luscious new book, The Rosie’s Bakery All-Butter, Cream-Filled, Sugar-Packed Baking Book!