In October, I baked gluten-free pies for my husband’s second cousin’s beautiful wedding in Tennessee.  Being so specific makes it sound like the bride is a very distant relative.  She’s not.  Chris’ family is close and connected and I love them.

The Bride let me choose one flavor (I made Pear Sambuca Pie) and she requested apple pie (I made Sour Cream and Apple Pie with Walnut Crumble Topping) and pumpkin pie.  I’m not a huge fan of pumpkin pie and custard pies are fussy, so I was bit nervous.

Luckily, I had remembered a pumpkin pie recipe that I used to make in my 20’s (back when I made every dish for Thanksgiving instead of doing it potluck like a normal person).  It’s from The New England Cookbook by Brooke Dojny.  It was given to me by a very dear and old friend who was, at that time, dating my roommate (They are now long married and have 3 children).  Katherine is a Maine native and a fellow lover of cooking and food.  This is one of my very favorite cookbooks.  I’m rough on my cookbooks. The ones that I really like are coated in food with lots of notes like YUM! and VERY GOOD!  scribbled into them.  My copy of The New England Cookbook is a mess.

Many of the recipes in The New England Cookbook are pulled and adapted from older cookbooks or local cooks.  This one is Richard Sax’s Best-Ever Pumpkin Pie.  I made a gluten-free version and it was just as delicious as I remembered.  Not too sweet, perfectly spiced, full of pumpkin flavor and a hint of booze.  The custard is silky and it set up without fuss.

I’m making it again for Thanksgiving!

EXCELLENT GLUTEN-FREE PUMPKIN PIE

Adapted from The New England Cookbook by Brooke Dojny

• One pre-baked gluten-free pie crust (recipe below)
• 1 and 3/4 cups canned pumpkin puree (no added sugar or spices)
• 2/3 cups brown sugar
•  1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon flour (use the gluten-free flour mix leftover from making the crust)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup whole milk
• 2 Tablespoons bourbon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (I use the seeds scraped from a vanilla bean)

1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugars, flour, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice and pepper in a large bowl.  Add the eggs and whisk until smooth. Whisk in the cream, milk bourbon and vanilla.
3. Pour the filling into the pre-baked pie crust.  Bake 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 degrees and continue to bake for 35 minutes.  Check to see if the custard is set. A knife inserted 2/3 of the way in to the center should come out clean.  If not, bake for up to another 15 minutes, checking it every 5 minutes.  Let it cool to room temp before serving.

GLUTEN FREE PIE CRUST

from Gluten-Free Baking Classics by Annalise Roberts.  

Gluten-Free Flour Mix

• 2 cups brown rice flour
• 2/3 cups potato starch (NOT POTATO FLOUR)
• 1/3 cup tapioca flour

Mix it all together!  This will make a little more flour than you will need the following recipe, but I find it handy to have around

Gluten free Pie Crust

from Classic Gluten-Free Baking by Annalise Roberts

• 1 cups plus 2 Tablespoons gluten-free pie mix (recipe above)
• 2 Tablespoons sweet rice flour (also known as mochi or glutinous rice flour)
• 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 6 Tablespoons cold butter
• 1 large egg
• 2 teaspoons lemon or orange juice

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Butter a pie tin and dust it with some of the gluten-free flour mix.
3. Mix the dry ingredients together.
4. Cut the butter in to the dry ingredients and use your fingers to combine until it has the consistency of course cornmeal.
5. Whisk the eggs and juice together.
6. Add the liquid to the flour and butter and combine into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk.
7. Measure out two 12 inch sheets of wax paper.  Roll the disk of dough out between two sheets of wax paper.
8. Remove one of the sheets of wax paper and flip the dough into the pie tin.
9. Remove the second sheet of wax paper and press the dough in to the pie tin using your fingers to repair any cracks. If the butter in the crust has started to melt by this point, just put it in the fridge to harden up for ten minutes.
10. Bake the  crust for 10 minutes at 375 degrees. Prepare your pie filling while it bakes.

MORE PIE!

Sour Cream Apple Pie with Walnut Crumble (Gluten-Free) https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2014/11/01/sour-cream-apple-pie-with-walnut-crumb-topping-gluten-free-les-fantome-du-passe-determinent-les-fruit-de-la-tarte/

Apple Rum Raisin Pie https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2011/01/10/apple-rum-raisin-pie-gluten-free-and-traditional/

Cranberry Raisin Pie https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/two-thanksgiving-pies-with-gluten-free-variations/

Gluten- Free Poached Pear and Cardamom Apple Butter Tart https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2011/11/05/poached-pear-and-cardamom-apple-butter-tart-gluten-free/

Pear Sambuca Pie https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2010/11/28/two-thanksgiving-pies-with-gluten-free-variations/

Ricotta Tart With Drunken Figs https://bigsislittledish.wordpress.com/2011/12/31/ricotta-tart-with-drunken-spiced-figs-gluten-free/