There are benefits to having your birthday fall shortly before Thanksgiving. Last year at this time I celebrated a milestone birthday and my sister, Dixie J, and niece, Mia K, came from Portland, Oregon to join in the festivities. We were thrilled when it worked out for them to stay through Thanksgiving as we’re rarely together for any holidays.
Other than ordering the turkey in advance from Worrell’s in Malvern, PA (our favorite butcher), I knew that I could leave the rest of the menu planning until Dixie and Mia were with us. For foodies, part of the fun of planning a special meal is talking about what to make. Some items were a nod to our childhood – mashed potatoes, creamed peas and pearl onions, and cranberry sauce. Others were not – a wild rice stuffing and signature cocktail (Cranberry-Thyme Gin and Tonic). I was thrilled when Dixie suggested that she make Grandma Carmela’s Praline-Pumpkin Pie.
Thankfully Peggy J had shared Carmela’s recipe with us long ago. I had never made it but I did keep the note card with the family recipe in my very large, falling apart binder of recipes (that I plan to organize one day in my free time!).
On Thanksgiving Eve, Dixie set about to make the pie while I took a nap as I had been doing some cooking earlier. I blissfully went upstairs to rest while Dixie made a homemade gluten-free pie crust (clearly not part of Carmela’s original recipe!) and the yummy filling. By the time I woke up from my nap the pie was out of the oven and the kitchen was all clean. What a treat and one that I will never forget!
While we used a gluten-free crust, any pie crust (homemade or store bought) will work. The filling only calls for one tablespoon of flour, so using gluten-free or all-purpose flour isn’t going to change the flavor profile at all given the small amount. See Notes in recipe for tips on what to do ahead of time.
The pie is mostly pumpkin but with a hint of pecan. Pecan and pumpkin pies are my two favorite Thanksgiving pies, so for me this is a perfect combination.
| Carmela’s Praline Pumpkin Pie (Gluten-Free) | Print |
- 2 cups gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour (see Notes)
- 12 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1-1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
- 2 egg yolks
- ⅓ cup finely ground pecans
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup canned pumpkin
- ⅔ cup light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon gluten-free flour or all-purpose flour (see Notes)
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon ground mace
- 1 cup light cream
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
- In the bowl of a large food processor, place flour and powdered sugar. Pulse briefly to blend. Scatter butter cubes evenly over top of flour and powdered sugar mixture. Pulse to cut in butter until no lumps are visible and mixture resembles the texture of cornmeal. Add egg yolks and pulse to blend, mixing only until comes together (about a minute). Avoid overprocessing.
- Remove dough from bowl and knead into a flat disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour.
- Preheat oven to 425°F. Roll out dough on a lightly floured work surface to a 14-inch round (if needed, be sure to use gluten-free flour). Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate. Pick up edges and allow dough to slump down into dish, letting excess dough hang over dish. Trim, leaving about a 1-inch overhang. Fold overhang under; pinch and crimp. Chill 30 minutes. (Note that you’re likely to have a bit of leftover dough.)
- Line dough with parchment paper or foil, leaving some overhang. Fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until crust is dry around the edges and just beginning to brown, 25 to 30 minutes. Carefully remove parchment and weights. Allow to cool for 30 minutes on wire rack.
- Preheat (or reduce) oven to 375°F.
- In a small bowl, mix pecans, ⅓ cup light brown sugar and butter with a fork until crumbly. Spread over bottom of the pie crust, pushing into the crust as much as possible.
- In a large bowl, add eggs, pumpkin, ⅔ cup light brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, ginger, salt, cloves, mace and light cream. Whisk until smooth.
- Pour into prepared pie crust.
- Bake at 375°F for 60 to 70 minutes or until edges are set and center is recessed and wobbles. (Filling will continue to set after baking.)
- Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 3 hours before slicing.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
* For gluten-free flour, I use Cup4Cup Multipurpose Flour.
* Dough can be made 3 days ahead; keep chilled, or freeze up to 2 months.
* Crust can be baked 1 day ahead; let cool, tightly wrap and store at room temperature.
* Pie can be baked 1 day ahead; tightly wrapped and chilled. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.
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