My love of almonds is showing

It would seem that Pumpkin Pie season is over, and we’re moving on to…what, Christmas Pudding? Ahem. Some of us didn’t get pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving — in fact, not even a hint of pumpkin was present in my Thanksgiving dinner (out, at a restaurant). Quince was the fall flavor that made its appearance more than once in our meal, most notably on the dessert plate along with a white chocolate mousse. I might consider a white chocolate thing as a Christmas dessert since it sort of looks like snow on the plate, but I wouldn’t really consider it because I don’t know what white chocolate is. It co-opted the word “chocolate” in order to up its profile, that’s what.

Back to pumpkin pie. It can be awkward to make (fresh pumpkin? crust?). It can be too sweet. It can be store-bought (like a job, sometimes, it’s such hard work to eat). But in a Pavlovian way we need our pumpkin flavor around this time, and since I missed mine I came home and made this one. I dug deep into the emotional well of pumpkin pie for this recipe — probably because I had been denied. Almond paste sprang to mind as a good underlying flavor for the pumpkin — I like almond paste since it contains more almonds and less sugar than marzipan. Finally, I thought a nice toasted almond topping would add a savory crunch. And click through for the crust recipe, because once you absorb the technique you’ll be able to breeze past the pre-made aisle every time.

Pumpkin Pie with Almonds | 1 pie

Make the lightly sweetened pie crust first — in fact you can make it a day ahead and keep it refrigerated until needed.

3 eggs
1 cup half & half
2 cups canned organic pumpkin
1/3 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon powdered ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Lightly sweetened pie crust, uncooked
3 1/2 ounces prepared almond paste
1 cup raw sliced almonds
4 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons melted butter
Small pinch of salt
1/2 pint whipping cream
2 teaspoons sugar

Preheat the oven to 400°F. In a mixing bowl, beat the eggs.

A whisk works well for blending the ingredients

Whisk in the half & half.

I prefer half & half to sweetened condensed milk in pumpkin pie

Add the pumpkin, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well and set aside until needed.

I've used unsweetened organic canned pumpkin

Such good flavors go into pumpkin pie

Line the uncooked pie crust with parchment or foil and partially fill with pie weights or dried beans.

I wish I had those little pie weights, but instead I have to sacrifice some dried pintos

In the preheated oven, bake the pie crust for 8 minutes. Remove the parchment and pie weights and prick the bottom in several places with a fork.

Parbaking the crust will keep it from getting soggy and add a base for the almond paste

Bake the crust another 5 minutes. Remove from the oven. Place 12 to 15 thin slices of prepared almond paste on the bottom of the crust.

I used a store-bought brand of almond paste and froze what I didn't need

Pour in the filling.

Leave a little exposed crust -- you may have extra filling to discard as a result

Bake the pie in the preheated 400°F oven for 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 325°F and continue cooking for another 35 to 45 minutes, or until the filling is set.

The filling will be puffed and cracked like this and not jiggly

Preheat the broiler. Combine the almonds, syrup, melted butter and salt in a small bowl. Distribute evenly over the top of the pie.

Maple and almond together make a nice wintery crust on top

I'm not skimping on the almonds here

Place the pie under the broiler to toast the almonds but watch it very carefully. The almonds will be brown within just a couple of minutes. Remove and cool the pie completely.

For the top of the pie, whip the cream with the sugar until very soft peaks form.

I prefer a very soft and very lightly sweetened whipped cream and it takes only a minute or two to make -- almost the same time it would take to shake the can

Serve the pie at room temperature with a dollop of soft whipped cream on top.

'Tis the season...all winter long

©2012 Kitchenelly. All Rights Reserved.