whelmed, but not overly*

I've never hidden the fact that I don't care for the flavor of pumpkin, though I'll readily admit that it makes a useful ingredient. Anyone who works with food in any capacity knows that pumpkin is in everything from lotion to lattes right now, so it behooves me as a baker to get on board.

Regular pumpkin pie is fine--it's easy to make and satisfies most customers. If I'm going to be eating it, though, I need some other ingredients to contribute to the flavor profile. A friend at work found a recipe for Bourbon-Maple Pumpkin Pie in her copy of Bon Appetit and asked that I make it, and I eagerly complied.

While there are seemingly ample amounts of both maple syrup and bourbon in this recipe, neither stands out very much against the pumpkin, which I found disappointing. In truth, it tasted pretty much like a regular pumpkin pie to me, yet it required more effort to make. The chocolate pie dough, though, was a great find. It came together quickly and was easier to handle and shape than a traditional pastry crust.

It's a green napkin this time.  Movin' on up.

The recipe as written instructs that the baked pie be sprinkled with sugar and bruleed, which I think sounds like an amazing idea. This unfortunately wasn't feasible for my purposes, but I think it's worth a try, especially since brulee-ing random baked goods seems to be all the rage these days. If you try the brulee-ing part or have any recommendations for getting more of the non-pumpkin flavors to emerge, let me know! I'm considering adding twice as much bourbon and some maple extract to my next attempt, so we'll see.

*Funny guy. Super strange, but funny nonetheless.