Why It Works
- Roasting tenderizes and barely dries the butternut squash, whereas additionally deepening its taste and sweetness.
- Blooming the gelatin ensures it is absolutely dissolved, and initiates its gelling properties.
- Permitting the squash-gelatin combination to chill fully earlier than folding within the meringue maintains quantity and produces a lightweight and ethereal texture.
I feel that there completely should be a pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving, because it doesn’t really feel proper with out one. However the one I prefer to make is not the basic liked by so many, it is this silky, dreamy, light-as-air pumpkin chiffon pie.
A pumpkin chiffon pie is just like a traditional pumpkin pie, however the pumpkin filling, seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, is stabilized with gelatin after which made ethereal and light-weight by folding in Swiss meringue. The result’s a lush and lofty pie filling that, when refrigerated till set, is paying homage to mousse.
Whereas chiffon pies are sometimes made with a graham cracker or cookie crust, my desire is for a buttery and flaky old school pie crust, because it provides textural distinction to the pie’s comfortable and clean filling. The pastry crust additionally acts as a sturdy base and provides some stability to the pie, making it a lot simpler to slice and maneuver.
Retailer-Purchased vs. Do-it-yourself Squash Purée
As Stella has famous earlier than, most canned pumpkin purée is definitely constructed from a sort of squash that is similar to butternut sqush. Due to this, I examined my pie with canned pumpkin in addition to selfmade roasted butternut squash purée. The outcomes had been very related, besides that the selfmade butternut squash purée had a barely extra advanced taste. Roasting any ingredient provides complexity, which on this case means additional notes of caramel and butterscotch within the closing dish. The canned model actually wasn’t too far behind although; it delivered a candy, earthy, and balanced pumpkin chiffon pie. In the end, the selection is completely as much as you!
Gelatin: The Key to a Agency-But-Gentle Filling
As a result of the filling is so gentle, it wants the added construction unflavored, powdered gelatin offers to carry its form. First, to activate its thickening properties, the gelatin have to be bloomed by sprinkling the powdered gelatin over a liquid (on this case, water) and permitting it to soak up the moisture. Since since extended publicity to excessive warmth can weaken its gelling properties, I play it secure by including the bloomed gelatin to the pot after the custard is already cooked and thickened.
Utilizing Swiss Meringue for a Steady Base
The sunshine-as-a-feather texture of this pie comes from Swiss meringue. Many recipes for pumpkin chiffon pie will use French meringue, which is made with uncooked egg whites, however this will poses a slight threat of food-borne sickness and shortens the shelf lifetime of the dish. (Whereas a carton of pasteurized egg whites would possibly seem to be a handy resolution for the dangers related to uncooked eggs, they don’t whip up as gentle, leading to a poor meringue.)
The Swiss meringue is made by cooking the egg whites to 175°F (79°C), which implies you possibly can really feel comfy serving this dessert to anybody and everybody. It additionally means, as Stella notes in her write up of Swiss meringue, that the meringue turns into extra steady, so you may make this pie prematurely and hold leftovers for an extended time period with out fear.
As a security precaution, this recipe truly makes double the quantity of Swiss meringue you want for the pie. You’ll be able to, in reality, make the Swiss meringue efficiently by halving the portions (so, three giant egg whites as an alternative of six, and so forth.), however your margin of error is smaller. With the decrease quantity of substances, it is harder to verify the temperature of the combination precisely, which in flip makes it simpler to overcook, which is able to produce a grainy outcome. For those who’re assured in your Swiss meringue skills, go forward and cut back the meringue substances by half; if not, persist with the recipe as written because it’s extra foolproof.
As soon as the pie is assembled, chilled, set, and able to serve, prime it off with a cloud of brown sugar whipped cream and an additional sprinkle of cinnamon.
This Scrumptious Pumpkin Chiffon Pie Might Be Your New Vacation Custom
Cook dinner Mode
(Preserve display awake)
For the Pumpkin Base:
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1 giant pound butternut squash (about 2 1/4 kilos; 1021g), halved lengthwise and seeded (see be aware)
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1/4 cup (60ml) water
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One 1/4-ounce envelope (about 2 1/4 teaspoons; 7g) unflavored gelatin (see be aware)
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3 giant egg yolks (2 ounces; 56g)
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1/2 cup granulated sugar (3 1/2 ounces; 100g)
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1/2 cup (120ml) complete milk
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1/2 teaspoon floor cinnamon, plus extra for garnish
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1/2 teaspoon floor ginger
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1/4 teaspoon floor nutmeg
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1 teaspoon (5ml) vanilla extract
For the Swiss Meringue (See Word):
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3 giant egg whites (3 1/4 ounces; 90g)
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2/3 cup granulated sugar (4 3/4 ounces; 134g)
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1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
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1/8 teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt; for desk salt, use half as a lot by quantity
To Assemble:
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1 pie dough, selfmade or store-bought
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Brown sugar whipped cream or whipped cream, for topping
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For the Pumpkin Base: Alter oven rack to lower-middle place and preheat to 400°F (205°C). Place squash halves cut-side down on a foil-lined aluminum baking sheet. Roast till fork-tender, about 45 minutes. Let stand till cool sufficient to deal with, 15 to twenty minutes. Scrape pulp right into a meals processor, discarding skins, and purée till clean, about 1 to 2 minutes. Measure out 14 ounces (395g; about 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups) squash purée (leftovers might be refrigerated for an additional use). Use heat, or refrigerate in an hermetic container for as much as 1 week.
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Add the water to a small bowl and sprinkle gelatin evenly on prime. Let stand till gelatin absorbs the water and turns into translucent, about 5 minutes.
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n a 2- to 3-quart saucepan, add the egg yolks, sugar, milk, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and whisk to mix. Flip the warmth to medium and cook dinner, whisking ceaselessly, till combination thickens barely, about 4 to five minutes. Just a few bubbles are okay, however don’t let it boil; alter warmth as wanted.
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As soon as the custard has thickened, cut back warmth to low and stir in bloomed gelatin. Whisk till gelatin is totally dissolved and no lumps stay, about 45 seconds.
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Flip off warmth and whisk in butternut squash purée and vanilla extract. Switch combination to a big bowl and chill in an ice-water tub, stirring sometimes, till cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
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For the Swiss Meringue: Fill a large pot with a minimum of 1 1/2 inches of water, with a thick ring of crumpled tinfoil positioned inside to behave as a “booster seat.” Place over excessive warmth till steaming-hot, then alter temperature to keep up a simmer. Mix egg whites, sugar, cream of tartar, and salt within the bowl of a stand mixer. Set on foil booster seat over steaming water, stirring and scraping always with a versatile spatula, till egg whites maintain regular at 145°F (63°C), 16 to twenty minutes (if the temperature appears to be rising too slowly, crank up the warmth; see notes). Switch to a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at excessive velocity till meringue is shiny and starting to ball up contained in the whisk, about 3 to five minutes.
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Add about one third of remaining meringue into chilly squash combination and, utilizing a versatile spatula, fold gently till simply integrated. Fold in remaining meringue in two additions till clean and mixed.
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To Assemble: Scrape filling into ready, blind-baked crust and unfold in a good layer. Cowl loosely and refrigerate till filling is agency and chilly, a minimum of 5 hours and as much as in a single day.
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When able to serve, prime pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Slice into wedges with a scorching chef’s knife, rinsing the knife underneath scorching working water and wiping it dry between slices. Rigorously slide a pie server underneath the crust, ensuring it reaches all the best way to the tip of every wedge, and serve.
Particular Gear
9-inch glass deep-dish pie plate, meals processor, whisk, 3-quart saucepan, stand mixer, versatile spatula, chef’s knife
Notes
14 ounces (395g; about 1 3/4 cups) canned pumpkin purée can be utilized rather than selfmade butternut squash purée.
This recipe was not examined with sheet gelatin, which may fluctuate considerably in bloom power and use. For greatest outcomes, use unflavored gelatin, such because the produced by the model Knox.
This recipe makes simply the small quantity of Swiss meringue wanted for the chiffon pie, however it may be simpler to make the Swiss meringue efficiently in bigger batches. For those who’re not as skilled at making Swiss meringue, it is doable to double the entire meringue substances and make as directed, conserving in thoughts the egg white combination could take longer to succeed in the specified temperature. Fold half of the meringue into filling as directed. Use extra meringue to bake off as kisses, use for toppings, layer onto a cookie sandwich or s’extra, and past. For those who’re involved in regards to the security of solely cooking the egg whites to 145°F (63ºC), you possibly can proceed to cook dinner them, stirring always, for a further 9 minutes as soon as they’ve reached the suitable temperature. When it comes to meals security, this could be the equal of cooking the egg white combination to 160°F (71ºC).
Make-Forward and Storage
The uncooked pie dough might be made, formed, and refrigerated as much as 24 hours prematurely, if nicely wrapped in plastic. The butternut squash purée might be refrigerated in an hermetic container as much as 1 week prematurely.
Wrapped in plastic, leftover pie might be refrigerated for as much as 5 days.