Apple Pie Smoothie

I recently started an internship at a pretty amazing company, Sakara Life, and I've been really focused on creating recipes and blog posts for them, which is why I've been slacking here on Buff Chickpea. Sorry about that, but I promise to share the love. Sakara Life created an organic meal delivery program based on a whole-food, plant-rich diet. Their focus is on helping people take their health back through nutrition, while supporting local farmers and fostering a sustainable environment. The company is based in Brooklyn, New York, and is 100% female-owned and operated. Besides creating and delivering delicious, organic meals, Sakara Life is all about educating people on the amazing things a whole foods diet can do for your body and mind. And if you're not lucky enough to live in New York and have access to this program, they offer downloads for a 3-day detox and a guide to snacking, as well as a detox tea (all purchased through their website). If you're interested in what I've been contributing, which I hope you are, you should really check out their blog. It's filled with superfood recipes, healthy living advice, and interesting articles worth sharing. I thought it would be nice to share my Sakara posts on Buff Chickpea as well, in hopes of spreading the health. You can find the recipes over on the Sakara Life blog. Enjoy!


Barrels of apples at the farmers' markets can only mean one thing - fall is coming (it's already here!), and I am so ready for a change of scenery (quite literally). I've been overheating for the past two months, counting down the days until I can hurl my short shorts and teeny bikinis into storage until they sneak up on me again next summer. Is it strange that I'm excited to wear pants? Pants, layers, boots, neutrals, scarves, perfect hair days - fall has really got it going on. But besides being a season for fashion, the change in leaves also brings with it some pretty delicious food. Pumpkins, pears, Brussels sprouts, root vegetables, pomegranates, dates, and apples are just a few reasons to start this autumn inside your kitchen. The bright reds, oranges, and yellows of the trees are echoed at the farmers' markets during this season of feasting. The air is getting crisper, and it's a perfect time to slow down a bit, and reconnect with your health after spending your summer hopping from one party to the next. I don't know if it's because only a few years ago I'd also be getting ready for school around this time, but I like to think of September as the start to a new year. And this year, I'm taking full advantage of local and seasonal produce.

One of the first activities I plan for September is a weekend trip to an apple orchard. Being a New Englander, I reserve the right to complain about the majority of our seasons, but if we've done one thing correctly, fall is it. Pumpkins are ready for carving, cider for sipping, and trees for picking. There are a good number of apple farms on the South Shore, where I reside, but I usually head north for more of that "Hocus Pocus," storybook fall scenery. This year, I found myself in Ipswich, MA at Russell Orchard. Set on 120 acres of land, Russell Orchard is a full scale fruit farm, complete with a storefront offering up one of the most delicious apple cider doughnuts I've yet to taste. The thing I love most about this orchard is their minimal use of pesticides. They are not certified organic, but many of their gardening practices follow USDA guidelines, and some of their pest management systems mirror those found in the organic register. Now when it comes to produce, I almost always buy organic, but it's pretty darn hard to find an organic pick-your-own apple orchard, and it's one pastime of mine that I will never give up. Apple picking is about connecting with nature, supporting your local farmers, and reminiscent of a time when life was not so hectic. Get a group of like-minded autumn aficionados together and get pickin'!

I know most of you will fill your bags with sweet thoughts of apple pie in your near future, but my obsessive urge to turn any and all desserts into a frozen beverage does not stop with pie. Apples are full of disease fighting compounds and antioxidants, and are perfect eaten raw or stewed into homemade applesauce. They're full of fiber, detoxifying, immune boosting, and even help to whiten teeth. Drowning them in sugar is sure to combat all of those stellar health benefits, so why not try a delicious and drinkable frozen apple pie. I promise it will satisfy your sweet tooth. And if you're still craving a slice come morning, try this vegan caramel apple pie, it's right where I'm headed next!

CLICK HERE FOR THE RECIPE! 

Apple Pie Oatmeal

I spent the end of August traveling North to Montreal, and it has really put me in the mood for the crisper months ahead of us. The weather up north was absolutely perfect. Not too hot, not too cold. All you need is a light jacket. It was so nice to explore the city by foot without the humidity we'd be getting back home. Old Montreal was like a trip back to Europe - I could walk for days taking in all the history. The cobblestone streets, beautiful architecture, and delicious food made for a perfect way to spend a long weekend. I'll share some more of our trip to Canada soon. 

We decided to skip breakfast in Montreal before heading home, and instead stop in Burlington, VT for a change of scenery. I'd never been to Burlington, but with all the granola-eating, Birkenstock-wearing images conjured up around Vermont, I knew we'd hit it off. And we did just that. The leaves have already started turning up north, and we happened to be traveling through during welcome-back-week for the University of Vermont students (the things I'd do to be back in college). The homes were so wonderfully dated, and their dedication to local, wholesome foods is something I could really get into. I always wonder why restaurants in Massachusetts don't get more involved with sourcing local ingredients. Everything we ate seemed to be produced at a farm down the street. We finally hit Burlington around lunchtime (traffic at the border was nuts!), and of course I had researched a restaurant during our drive south. The menu at The Farmhouse Tap + Grill made for an easy decision. My mom and I got veggie burgers, and I topped mine with braised kale and caramelized onions. Incredible. I also got a fresh pressed apple, carrot, ginger juice to start. I really need to juice more. We ended our indulgent weekend of eating with a slice of homemade blueberry pie a la mode, and a sweet and tangy chevre and honey trifle. I highly recommend a trip to The Farmhouse if you're ever in the area. I'll definitely be back to eat my way through their menu.  

Driving through the green mountain state, on our way back to Kingston, I knew I wanted to plan this years apple picking weekend up here in Burlington - mostly so I could enjoy another meal up here. Is it strange that I plan all activities around eating? Most of the time you can find me at my computer eating one meal and researching my next. In fact, I think a lot of my unruly spending comes from trying to keep myself busy until I can eat again. So in hopes of bringing home some of that autumn air, I bring you apple pie oatmeal infused a bit with the delicious blueberry pie we enjoyed in Vermont. Creamy oats served atop warm, spiced blueberries all covered with soft and sweet cinnamon, maple apples, and finished with a sprinkling of toasted pecans. I. Want. Fall. 

Apple Pie Oatmeal

Serves 1

1 apple, finely diced

1/2 tablespoon maple syrup

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cups oats

1/2 cup apple juice

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon maca powder

2 tablespoons dried cranberries

1/2 cup frozen blueberries

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons pecan, toasted

Place the diced apple, maple syrup, and teaspoon of cinnamon in a bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, and microwave for about two minutes until soft. Alternately, you could saute these ingredients on the stove top. Set aside while you prepare your oats.

Add the oats, apple juice, water, vanilla extract, and maca powder to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium/medium low, and simmer until your liquid is absorbed and the oats are nice and chewy. Throw in the cranberries towards the end of cooking so they can soften up.

Microwave the blueberries in the bottom of your serving bowl. Mash slightly with the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon. Pour your oats over the warm blueberry mash, and top with the softened cinnamon apple chunks. Sprinkle with toasted and chopped pecans, and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup.

Neopolitan Easter Pie

Did You Know? Easter Pie has many different names and even more recipes, depending on the section of Italy in question. In Naples it is known as "pastiera," and is made with ricotta cheese and whole grains of wheat to symbolize rebirth.

After a cold and rainy Saturday, the weather finally cleared up to allow for a beautiful Sunday lunch. After a late night of preparations Saturday, I got up early with my Mom and continued the endless mixing, chopping, and roasting. Things went pretty smoothly, and in the end, our kitchen table looked beautiful, and tasted even better. Which brings us to today, and the beginning of an Easter recap. Starting with dessert, I'll post a few other dishes my family enjoyed throughout the week.

Wanting to include a traditional Easter dish, I remembered this Neopolitan pie that was featured on The Martha Stewart Show a few years back. My family has always loved Italian foods, and this sounded like an interesting take on a ricotta pie, a dessert we can't get enough of. The idea of incorporating arborio rice brought about thoughts of a sweet risotto or a tapioca style pudding. Both of which would make for a wonderfully creamy filling between a flaky crust. I researched a few other takes on this classic Italian pie, and came up with something I know will be made again come next Spring.

I let the pie cool to room temperature, mainly for slicing reasons, but I'm sure this would be good both warm or cold. Unlike the cannoli-like filling of my previous ricotta pies, this Neopolitan style dessert was a lot less grainy. The pastry cream added such an intense vanilla richness, and the specks of beans do a great job at making any dessert look gourmet. I was never a fan of tapioca pudding, so what comes to my mind is more of a risotto style pie, sandwiched between a flaky, sugary crust, and dusted with a powder of confectioners sugar. I'd never had orange blossom water, but I read that it was pretty traditional, so I tossed some in. It added such delicate floral undertones, and just a hint of sweet orange flavor. In fact, the only thing that I had a bit of trouble with on this pie was the crust. It called for a sweet dough, combining quite a bit of flour with butter, sugar, and eggs. If I were to make it again, I'd definitely use my stand-by pate brisee. The sweet dough was terribly crumbly, and I ended up just pressing it into the bottom and up the sides of the cake pan. I knew it would fall apart if I tried to interlock the top ribbons of dough, so I made sort of a faux-lattice top. In the end, it looked wonderful, and confectioners sugar does a beautiful job at hiding any imperfections.

Neopolitan Easter Pie
Adapted from The Martha Stewart Show

1/2 cup arborio rice
2 cups milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Pinch of salt
12 ounces whole-milk ricotta (about 1 1/2 cups)
3/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons orange blossom water
Pastry Cream (recipe follows)
Sweet Dough (recipe follows)
All-purpose flour, for work surface
1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

Place rice in a medium bowl. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, drain rice, and transfer to a medium saucepan. Add milk, 1 cup water, butter, and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain, and spread on a baking sheet. Let cool, about 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, stir together ricotta and sugar. Add cooled wheat, pastry cream, and orange blossom water. Stir to combine.

Remove the larger piece of dough from refrigerator. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into a 12-by-2-inch cake pan. Pour filling into the crust; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining piece of dough, 1/8-inch-thick. Cut into 3/4-inch lattice strips. Weave the lattice strips over the filling, pinching edges to seal. Crimp edges as desired.

Brush top of pie evenly with egg wash. Transfer to oven, and bake, rotating halfway through, until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Pastry Cream
3 large egg yolks
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
6 tablespoons sugar
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
Pinch of salt

Prepare an ice bath; set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together egg yolks, flour, and sugar; set aside. In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk, vanilla bean, and salt. Bring just to a boil.

Using a measuring cup or a ladle, slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot milk mixture into the egg-yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Pour mixture back into saucepan, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thick 1 to 2 minutes.

Strain through a fine mesh sieve into a medium bowl set over the ice bath. Let stand, stirring occasionally, until cool. Place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pastry cream. Transfer to refrigerator until cold, at least 1 hour, and up to overnight. Just before using, remove from refrigerator, and whisk to soften slightly.

Makes about 2 1/2 cups.

Sweet Dough
1 1/2 pounds (just under 5 cups) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 pinch of salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 large eggs

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt; set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until fully incorporated after each addition.

Reduce speed to low, and beat in the dry ingredients. Turn the dough out onto a work surface. Divide dough, making sure one piece is slightly larger than the other. Place each piece of dough on a sheet of plastic wrap. Flatten, to form two discs. Wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour before using.

Honey Walnut Pie

Did You Know? The sugar concentration in honey is so high that no bacteria can live in it. It has even been used in hospitals as a dressing for wounds, burns, and cuts.

My dad has been going to classes to become a bee keeper, so I wanted to make him this honey-rich dessert, courtesy of Martha Stewart. I can only imagine how much tastier it will be once we have honey straight from the bees in our backyard. It sounds like a strange thing to get into, but with 75% of our food coming from the honey bee, it's really an important hobby. So to see where his new fascination of all things bees came from, I came home from school on Thursday night to go to bee school with my dad, and it was so interesting. There's definately a lot of information thrown at you, all of which will be fun to share with you through my "Did You Know" section.

Now onto the pie. The crust definately makes it, so don't skimp on ingredients, and make sure to use a good pate brisee recipe (like the one below). Full of finely chopped walnuts, and sticky, sweet honey, this pie is like a giant piece of baklava. My parents loved the flavors immediately, but I found a refrigerated-slice the next morning to be much more enjoyable.

The orange zest was a little overpowering for me, so I might omit that the next time. My brother and I were brainstorming other ways I could take this dessert, and we both thought a little cinnamon would be nice. He also suggested some mini-chocolate chips or shaved chocolate if that's your preference. However you enjoy this, it's sure to please. It's not too sweet, which I love, and made for an excellent breakfast the day after. I'd love to hear any variations you might have in mind, so let me know. Enjoy!

Honey Walnut Pie
The original recipe calls for 1/2 teaspoon of orange zest. I might leave this out the next time, and also add some cinnamon.

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
Pate Brisee, Walnut Variation
4 large eggs, lightly beaten, plus 1 lightly beaten egg for brushing
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 stick unsalted butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest, plus 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts
Fine sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place a 10-inch tart ring on a baking sheet lined with parchment; set aside. On a lightly floured surface, roll out 1 disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick; cut into a 14-inch round. Fit into tart ring; trim overhang to 1/2 inch. Freeze while making filling.

Whisk together 4 eggs, the honey, granulated sugar, butter, orange zest and juice, salt, and flour in a large bowl. Stir in walnuts. Pour into tart shell.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out remaining disk of dough to 1/8 inch thick. Cut into an 11-inch round. Cut 5 slits for vents. Drape over filling. Trim overhang to 1 inch; fold over bottom crust. Press edges to seal, and tuck into ring. Brush with remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake until a knife inserted in one of the vents comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Transfer sheet to a wire rack; let cool completely. Remove ring before serving. Can be stored, covered, overnight.

*I had mine both room temperature and refrigerated, and preferred the latter. The cold, buttery crust was perfect, and the filling got a chance to set up.

Ricotta & Pineapple Pie

Did You Know? The pineapple is not a single fruit, but a cluster of 100-200 tiny fruitlets.

Every Christmas my Dad brings home really tasty desserts from the North End, and usually a ricotta pie from Modern Pastry is on the list. Sweet and creamy, and much lighter than a cheesecake, it is soooo good. Modern fills theirs with a chocolate ganache center, but I think I like it better without. If you've never had a ricotta pie from Modern, get one! Just google it for the piles of rave reviews you'll find about their beloved pie. That is if you're not in the mood for baking up your own, because this recipe couldn't be easier, thanks to Susan over at Food Blogga.

The ricotta provides a somewhat grainy texture, which I love. And being someone who hates cheesecake, this pie is not like its thick cousin involving cream cheese. It's sort of like cannoli filling made into a pie - could anything be better than that?

The pineapple really sent this recipe over the top. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and the shreds of crushed pineapple really work well with the smooth ricotta. When I made this, I halved the original recipe (which was for two pies), but I forgot to halve the pineapple. I think it tasted perfect with the full 20 ounces of pineapple, but feel free to use 10 ounces if you like.

Ricotta & Pineapple Pie
Pate Brisee (this pate brisee is for a double crust pie, this pie recipe only has a bottom crust, so halve the pate brisee recipe, freeze half of the full recipe, or make two ricotta pies!)
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 cup heavy cream
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 tablespoon plus 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 large eggs
1 (20-ounce) can of crushed pineapple (drained)
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (dusted on top of pie)

For the filling, place the pineapple in strainer set over a bowl for at least 1-1/2 hours, or preferably overnight. Discard the liquids. This will create a thicker pie filling and keep the crust crispier.

Add the ricotta to a large mixing bowl, and beat it smooth with an electric mixer. Beat in the heavy cream, sugar, cornstarch, and vanilla. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, making sure the texture is smooth. Finally, stir in the pineapple.

Preheat your oven to 425, with a rack set in the lower third of the oven.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Roll it out on a lightly floured surface into a 10-inch circle. Place the dough round in a pie plate, and freeze for 15 minutes.

After the fifteen minutes has passed, remove the pie plate from the freezer, and pour the filling right to the top of the pie plate leaving just a bit of room for the filling to puff up. Sprinkle the top of the pie with ground cinnamon. If you have some extra filling left over, as I did, you can pour it into a ramekin for a crustless version, and follow the same baking instructions.

Bake the pie at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake another 30 minutes. The filling should be slightly puffed, golden, and set, not jiggly. Remove from the oven and let cool on a rack. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Toasted Pecan Pie

Did You Know? There are over 1,000 varieties of pecans. Many are named for Native American Indian tribes, including Cheyenne, Mohawk, Sioux, Choctaw and Shawnee.

I promise I don't just sit around all day eating pie! I just loved how my Thanksgiving pies turned out, so I wanted to share. After this one, I swear I won't post another pie for a while. If you're like me, then you love cooking and baking for others...so just because you make all these sweets, doesn't mean you have to eat them all yourself! Share the love, your neighbors will be so grateful. Now, on to the pie...

If you asked my family for the one thing they didn't get enough of on Thanksgiving, it would be the pecan pie. My mom was the first to cut in, when I gave in and let her have a slice before the big day. It was all downhill from there. That pie didn't last 20 minutes once the desserts were set out after dinner. I blame myself for not cutting in earlier. I fell asleep after dinner, and when I woke up for dessert, there was a tiny sliver left for me to taste. Looks like I'll be making two of these next year, and thanks Pioneer Woman for the quickly consumed recipe...

Don't forget to toast the pecans lightly. It's a step I added, but it really makes all the difference between a chewy and crunchy topping.

Pecan Pie
1 unbaked pie crust (I used Pate Brisee-I cut the dough round for the top into strips, and braided them together. Stick it to the dough in the pie plate with an egg wash)
1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup corn syrup
1/3 cup melted butter (regular, salted)
3 eggs, beaten
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 heaping cup chopped pecans, toasted for about 5 minutes

Roll out your bottom dough round on a lightly floured surface, and place into a 9-inch pie plate, freeze until firm, about 30 minutes (I added the braid to the top before I froze it).

Mix sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter, eggs, and vanilla together in a bowl. Pour chopped pecans in the bottom of the pie shell. Pour syrup mixture over the top. Bake pie at 350 degrees for 1 hour, being careful not to burn pecans and crust.

The pie will be jiggly when you remove it, don't worry, it will set as it cools. Best to eat this one the next day.

Apple Pie

Did You Know? In rural homes in the 19th century, apple, and other fruit pies were often served for breakfast, and considered a good hearty beginning for a hard day's work.

My sister and I often laugh at her undying love of food. So when I asked her what she wanted me to make for her on Thanksgiving, she said "anything...as long as this apple pie is on the menu." I, on the other hand, was always an apple crisp fan, until I ate this. Trust me, this is by far the best apple pie you will ever make. And of course, it's courtesy of the ultimate, Martha Stewart...

I decorated my crust with maple leafs that I cutout of some extra dough I had from all those pies I had been making for the holidays, but it's just as good decoration-free (although the oohs and aahs you get just won't be the same).

Apple Pie
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
Pate Brisee
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
4 pounds assorted cooking apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4-to 1/2-inch-thick slices (I used 6 large ones - honeycrisp, golden delicious, and macintosh)
Juice of one large lemon
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, ,cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling

Turn out 1 piece of dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Roll into a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Fit into 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges flush with rim. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Roll out remaining dough on parchment paper to a 13-inch round, about 1/8 inch thick. Transfer to a baking sheet, and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk egg yolk and cream in a small bowl; set egg wash aside. Put apples, lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a large bowl; toss to combine. Fill pie shell with apple mixture, and dot with butter. Lightly brush edge of pie with a wet pastry brush. Place dough round on top of pie. Trim edges flush with rim; press to seal. Crimp edges as desired. Make four 1/2-inch slits in center of pie. Brush top with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Freeze 30 minutes.

Place pie on a baking sheet. Bake until crust begins to turn golden brown, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Bake until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling, about 35 minutes. Cover with foil if browning too quickly. Let cool completely on a rack.

This pie is best the next day, when the apples have had the chance to set.

Blueberry Pie

Did You Know? Early American colonists made grey paint by boiling blueberries in milk.

Here's a recipe for one of the many pies I made for Thanksgiving last Thursday. This particular blueberry pie was really flavorful. The fresh berries remained pretty much in tact, but obtained a much sweeter flavor throughout the baking process. It was juicy and bright purple, and everything a homemade fruit pie should be. The lattice crust really sent it over the top, but you could simply drape a dough round on top. Either way, you won't be disappointed...

Blueberry Pie
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Pate Brisee (or your favorite double-crust recipe)
4 pints blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A few dashes of cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

Roll out one of the dough rounds, on a lightly floured surface, into a 12-inch circle and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll the other round in the same manner (or cut it into strips for a lattice crust) and place on a baking sheet. Freeze both top and bottom for 30 minutes.

Place blueberries in a large bowl. With your hands, crush about 1 cup of the berries. Add sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, and lemon juice; stir to combine. Spoon mixture into chilled pie shell, mounding berries slightly in the center. Dot with butter. Drape the top crust over the blueberry filling, or style the top as you wish. Using your fingers, gently press both layers of dough along the edge to seal, and crimp as desired.

Using a paring knife, cut several vents in the top of dough to allow steam to escape. In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk and cream. Brush surface with egg wash, being careful not to let it pool. Freeze the pie for another 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lower third.

Place pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue baking, rotating sheet halfway through, until crust is deep golden brown and juices are bubbling and have thickened, 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer pie to a wire rack to cool completely. The pie is best eaten the day it is baked.

Hazelnut Spiced Pumpkin Pie

Did You Know? The largest pumpkin pie ever made was over five feet in diameter and weighed over 350 pounds. It used 80 pounds of cooked pumpkin, 36 pounds of sugar, 12 dozen eggs and took six hours to bake.

I polled my family on the types of pies they would like on the Thanksgiving table this year, and like I had predicted, everyone had a different request. So it looks like I will be making 4 pies this time around. Seeing that pumpkin is my favorite, I had numerous recipes that I wanted to experiment with before deciding on the final pie that would be served on Thanksgiving. Last week I had made a rich chocolate pumpkin pie with a graham cracker crust, and it turned out really well. But I must admit, I like the flavor of the pumpkin to be the star, and I think the chocolate took over a little too much. It was sort of like a cross between chocolate pudding pie, and pumpkin pie.

Today, I gave it another shot with Heidi's beautiful Spice-kissed Pumpkin Pie over at 101 Cookbooks. Everything she makes looks and tastes incredible, and this definately followed suit with the rest of her recipes. I'm almost positive this will be the pie served on the big day...

Hazelnut Spiced Pumpkin Pie
1 pre-baked pie crust (I used this vegan crust recipe)
2 cups toasted hazelnuts, divided
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/2 cups roasted pumpkin puree
1 teaspoon madagascar vanilla extract
3 eggs, plus 1 for the egg-wash
1 cup light coconut milk
1 tablespoon cream

Preheat oven to 350

Puree 1 1/2 cups of the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor until they turn into a paste. Set aside. Chop the remaining 1/2 cup of hazelnuts and set aside for garnish.

To make the filling, whisk together the brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, salt, and cornstarch. Stir in the pumpkin puree and vanilla. Next, stir in the 3 eggs and coconut milk until just combined. Set aside.

Before filling the pie crust, crumble the hazelnut paste on top of the pie dough in the pie plate, quickly and gently press it into a thin layer across the bottom, creating a layer of hazelnuts that will sit between the dough and the filling. Using the last egg, create a wash by whisking it with a tablespoon of cream. Gently brush the edges of the pie dough. Use a fork to prick the pie dough a few times to prevent air bubbles. Pour the filling into the crust and bake for about 50 minutes - the center of the pie should just barely jiggle when you move the pie, and the edges should be set.

Let the pie cool (I put mine in the fridge overnight), and top with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of the toasted hazelnuts. Enjoy!