Creamy Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust
Our creamy pumpkin pie with hazelnut crust is full of familiar seasonal flavor with a modern hazelnut twist.
Thanksgiving Desserts | Creamy Pumpkin Pie
with Hazelnut Crust
In our October 1995 issue, food writer Corby Kummer riffed on classic pumpkin pie with multiple variations, including Pecan Crunch, Marble Cheesecake, and this Creamy Pumpkin Pie with Hazelnut Crust. It’s fully recognizable to traditionalists, but adds a pleasing aroma of hazelnuts to keep things interesting.
Yield:
8 servingsFor the crust:
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon table salt
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into cubes
3 tablespoons finely ground hazelnuts
3–4 tablespoons cold water
1 teaspoon white or cider vinegar
Instructions
Preheat your oven to 350° and set a rack to the middle position. Make the crust: In a medium-size bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, and salt. Use a pastry cutter or fork to cut the butter cubes into the dry ingredients until the pieces are about the size of a pea. Then use your fingers to rub some of the butter into the flour so that it forms flakes; the mixture should look like cornmeal with lumps in it. Stir it into the toasted hazelnuts. Sprinkle in the water and vinegar, mixing with a fork until the pastry begins to hold together. Gather it into a ball, press into a disc, and wrap in plastic wrap. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to overnight.
Roll out the chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to form an 11-inch round. Transfer to a pie plate, pressing the dough into the corners. Flute the edges and prick the bottom with a fork. Chill 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat your oven to 375°. Line a pie shell with parchment paper or foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the edges are golden, about 20 minutes. Remove the weights and parchment and bake an additional 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool.
For the filling:
Ingredients
2 cups plain pumpkin purée
1 cup heavy cream
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2/3 cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Instructions
Reduce the heat to 350°. In a medium-size bowl, whisk together the pumpkin purée, cream, eggs, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
Pour into the prepared shell. Bake until the filling is set and a knife inserted into the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
Cool completely on a wire rack.
For the topping:
Ingredients
1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 tablespoon hazelnut liqueur
1/4 cup coarsely chopped hazelnuts
Instructions
Just before serving, make the topping: Use a standing or handheld mixer to whip the cream, powdered sugar, and hazelnut liqueur into medium peaks.
Spoon a bit of whipped cream over each slice of pie and sprinkle with chopped hazelnuts.
