Why It Works
- Roasting tenderizes and barely dries the butternut squash, whereas additionally deepening its taste and sweetness.
- Blooming the gelatin ensures it is totally 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 light-weight 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 wish to make is not the traditional cherished by so many, it is this silky, dreamy, light-as-air pumpkin chiffon pie.
A pumpkin chiffon pie is much like a standard pumpkin pie, however the pumpkin filling, seasoned with cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg, is stabilized with gelatin after which made ethereal and lightweight 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 choice is for a buttery and flaky old style pie crust, because it provides textural distinction to the pie’s delicate and easy 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 constituted of a sort of squash that is similar to butternut sqush. Due to this, I examined my pie with canned pumpkin in addition to home made roasted butternut squash purée. The outcomes have been very comparable, besides that the home made butternut squash purée had a barely extra advanced taste. Roasting any ingredient provides complexity, which on this case means further 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. Finally, the selection is completely as much as you!
Gelatin: The Key to a Agency-But-Mild 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 protected 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 danger of food-borne sickness and shortens the shelf lifetime of the dish. (Whereas a carton of pasteurized egg whites may 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 suggests you possibly can really feel snug 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 secure, so you can also make this pie prematurely and maintain leftovers for an extended time frame with out fear.
As a security precaution, this recipe truly makes double the quantity of Swiss meringue you want for the pie. You possibly can, actually, make the Swiss meringue efficiently by halving the portions (so, three massive egg whites as an alternative of six, and so on.), however your margin of error is smaller. With the decrease quantity of elements, it is tougher to verify the temperature of the combination precisely, which in flip makes it simpler to overcook, which can produce a grainy outcome. Should you’re assured in your Swiss meringue talents, go forward and cut back the meringue elements by half; if not, keep on with the recipe as written because it’s extra foolproof.
As soon as the pie is assembled, chilled, set, and able to serve, high 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
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For the Pumpkin Base:
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1 massive pound butternut squash (about 2 1/4 kilos; 1021g), halved lengthwise and seeded (see word)
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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 word)
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3 massive 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) entire 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 Be aware):
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3 massive 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, home made or store-bought
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Brown sugar whipped cream or whipped cream, for topping
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For the Pumpkin Base: Regulate 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 easy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Measure out 14 ounces (395g; about 1 2/3 to 1 3/4 cups) squash purée (leftovers could be refrigerated for one more 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 high. 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 prepare dinner, whisking ceaselessly, till combination thickens barely, about 4 to five minutes. Just a few bubbles are okay, however don’t let it boil; regulate 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 bathtub, stirring often, till cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
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For the Swiss Meringue: Fill a large pot with at the very least 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 regulate 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 consistently 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 easy and mixed.
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To Assemble: Scrape filling into ready, blind-baked crust and unfold in an excellent layer. Cowl loosely and refrigerate till filling is agency and chilly, at the very least 5 hours and as much as in a single day.
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When able to serve, high pie with whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon. Slice into wedges with a scorching chef’s knife, rinsing the knife beneath scorching working water and wiping it dry between slices. Fastidiously slide a pie server beneath the crust, ensuring it reaches all the way in which 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 home made butternut squash purée.
This recipe was not examined with sheet gelatin, which may fluctuate considerably in bloom power and use. For finest 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. Should you’re not as skilled at making Swiss meringue, it is doable to double the entire meringue elements and make as directed, protecting in thoughts the egg white combination might 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. Should you’re involved concerning the security of solely cooking the egg whites to 145°F (63ºC), you possibly can proceed to prepare dinner them, stirring consistently, for a further 9 minutes as soon as they’ve reached the suitable temperature. By way of meals security, this might be the equal of cooking the egg white combination to 160°F (71ºC).
Make-Forward and Storage
The uncooked pie dough could be made, formed, and refrigerated as much as 24 hours prematurely, if nicely wrapped in plastic. The butternut squash purée could be refrigerated in an hermetic container as much as 1 week prematurely.
Wrapped in plastic, leftover pie could be refrigerated for as much as 5 days.