.................. Cooking with Barry & Meta: Pecan-topped Pumpkin Pie

The best of both worlds, this pie combines crunchy pecans with creamy pumpkin pie and all of the spices I associate with fall. Besides, it gave me an opportunity to try out my spring-loaded pie cutters from Williams-Sonoma . . . which work very well! My Thanksgiving pie is ready!

Pecan-topped Pumpkin Pie Makes one 9" pie

Filling

2 eggs  

2/3 cup lightly packed brown sugar

½ teaspoon salt   

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

¼ teaspoon ground ginger 

1 (15 oz.) can plain pumpkin pie filling (no sugar or spices included) or pumpkin puree

1 (12 ½ oz.) can evaporated milk

One 9” unbaked pie shell

1. Preheat oven to 425°.

2. Break eggs into a large bowl. Beat until blended. Stir in brown sugar, salt and spices until evenly blended. Then add pumpkin and milk, stirring until blended.

3. Pour pumpkin mixture into the unbaked pie shell.

4. Bake on bottom rack of oven just until crust is golden around edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Reduce heat to 325° and continue baking until pumpkin filling seems set in center when lightly jiggled, about 45 to 50 minutes more. Add topping (recipe follows) the last 5 to 8 minutes that the pie is in the oven.

5. Cool on a cooling rack; refrigerate until ready to serve.

Topping

½ cup chopped pecans

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons soft butter

Mix all above ingredients together thoroughly. (I started with a spatula and then used my fingers to make sure the nuts did not clump together.)

Fun with my spring-loaded pie crust cut outs . . .

I added a few leaves to the edge of the crust.

I also baked leaves, acorns, pumpkins & turkeys to add the baked pie and other Thanksgiving desserts.

Recipe without photos . . .