I love, love, LOVE everything about the fall. For some reason this particular season always gives me a feeling of hope and nostalgia. This year, we are experiencing fall for the first time in Colorado, and it hasn't disappointed. The changing of the leaves has been spectacular, and I was amazed at the spectrum of hues I could see right out my front door.
For me, fall isn't complete without the food and drinks I've grown up with: spiced apple cider, anything made with pumpkin or squash, halloween candy (of course!), and lastly and most importantly, pie.
When I was small, I often helped my grandmother, in the kitchen. Granny, as we all affectionately called her, was not the retiring old lady with permed white hair that we often imagine when people talk about their grandmothers. Instead, she was a stubborn, opinionated, loud, and extremely passionate woman. This extended to her cooking. Granny took her food very seriously; dreaming up elaborate meals preoccupied much of her time. She worked mostly from memory, an astounding feat considering the number of recipes she knew.
At Thanksgiving, I followed Granny around in an attempt to be her "helper." As a little girl, my sole responsibilities were fetching ingredients from the pantry, and peeling fruit, but she made me feel like I had the most important job in the world. As I got older, she taught me her secrets to making the perfect pie crust and fillings. When I was a young adult, Granny let me take over her kitchen and make the pies myself, as she oversaw me from her lounge chair across the room. Granny passed away a few years ago, but my memories of cooking with her are some of the most vivid I have.
I've been thinking about Granny (and her pies) a lot recently. I've also been trying to get out of my culinary comfort zone while still working with ingredients and techniques I'm familiar with. What's more familiar than pumpkin pie? So, I decided to change it up a little, and instead of a traditional pie, I made bars that can be eaten either with your hands, or a fork. As for ingredients, I thought the old recipe could use a little kick. Enter...
Rum, brown sugar, and pecans. Yup, these were the magic ingredients I added when creating this recipe. Instead of a plain flour/butter crust, this one was made with the addition of pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon, creating a crunchy, praline-like texture. The filling was made with brown sugar and a healthy splash of rum (booze makes everything better, doesn't it?). I was afraid that these new ingredients would clash in the final product, but instead they enhanced the familiar flavors of the pie I know and love.
Recipe
For the crust:
2 cups ground pecans
1/2 cup gluten-free flour blend (I used Pamela's Artisan Flour)
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
For the filling:
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
2.5 tablespoons rum
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
15 oz. pumpkin puree (1 can of pumpkin if using canned)
1 can (12 oz.) evaporated milk
Directions for crust: In a food processor, grind pecans to desired texture. (I processed them finely, but the crust will work with a coarser texture as well.) Add remaining dry ingredients to processor and pulse until blended. Add melted butter and pulse until all the butter is evenly distributed. Firmly press crust into a 9X13 baking dish, then chill in refrigerator for at least 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake about 30 minutes, or until dark, golden brown. Pecans tend to burn easily, and since oven temps vary greatly, watch crust carefully after 25 minutes. Allow to cool completely before filling. The crust may be made a day ahead.
Directions for filling: In a large bowl, beat eggs. Combine eggs and brown sugar with a rubber spatula. Add rum, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, allspice, and nutmeg, and stir until combined. Add evaporated milk and pumpkin, and stir until smooth. Let sit for ten minutes for air bubbles to disperse and flavors to deepen. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until custard is set.
*In custard pies, air bubbles are your worst enemy. Too many air bubbles cause the pie to bake unevenly, and can give the pie a pebbled or uneven appearance. Only use a whisk to beat the eggs at the beginning. The rest of the ingredients should be gently folded in.
Sea-level modifications: decrease baking temperature to 325 degrees for both the crust and the filling. Baking times will be approximately the same.
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