Pumpkin Pecan Pie: Further from Tradition

OK, so the pumpkin pie + graham cracker crust was definitely a step up from standard pie crust... but we've made it even better! The biggest complaint from the peanut gallery was a lack of crust crispness on day two. Of course, I knew this meant we needed something that wouldn't absorb any of the liquid from the pie.

Nuts were the perfect solution. The update is just to the crust, but I've included the filling recipe again. You're welcome to use your own pumpkin pie filling, but this one is pretty spectacular! It's got a lot less liquid than most pie recipes, so the spices stay well incorporated and the pumpkin flavor shines.

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Graham Cracker Pecan Crusted Pumpkin Pie
makes 1 9-inch pie crust



Ingredients
1 small package of graham crackers
6T butter, melted
0.5c sugar
1t cinnamon
0.5c raw pecan halves

Directions
1. Crush the graham crackers into approximately pea-sized crumbs. (Bigger pieces will make a yummier, less consistent crust. Smaller pieces will be easier to work with, but at the expense of texture. Adjust as you see fit.)
2. Mix the graham crackers, melted butter, sugar and cinnamon thoroughly.
3. Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Try using the bottom of a flat glass to help with this step. (D's dad used a 5-inch pie plate for this.. if you have one, it would work, too.)
4. Press the pecan halves into the bottom of the pie. (The sides stay crispy on their own.)
5. Bake the crust at 375°F for 7 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 1 hour before adding your favorite pumpkin (or pecan) pie filling.

Filling

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 15oz. can pumpkin puree (I used pumpkin pie filling, but it's better with pumpkin puree)

0.5c heavy whipping cream

0.5c brown sugar

1T ground cinnamon

1t ground ginger

0.25t ground cloves

0.25t freshly ground nutmeg (use about an eighth of a small nutmeg)

0.5t salt

Directions

1. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients together (I suggest whisking the eggs first)

2. Pour ingredients into the crust.

3. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour at 350°F. When it's done, the center will be almost solid, and if you insert a knife into the pie about an inch from the edge, it will come out almost clean.

Just into the oven.

About 20 minutes into baking, you can see the edges start to set.

4. Cool, and enjoy with whipped cream.

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