A Southern Grace: whelmed, but not overly*

November 13, 2013

whelmed, but not overly*

Yum

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.

23 comments:

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Divine! A perfect pie.

Cheers,

Rosa

Barbara said...

Hah! Twice as much bourbon sounds like a plan, Grace! The brulee idea sounds interesting too. One of my sons gave me the little flame thrower but since I moved, I would have to do a big search to find it. Great idea, though.

Jackie&Syrup and Biscuits said...

Lovely pie, Grace! Did you use grade B maple syrup which has a more robust flavor than grade A? Maple table syrup is grade A and is so mild, it wouldn't add a lot of flavor in a recipe.

Alicia Foodycat said...

I'd rather just drink the bourbon to be honest.

vanillasugarblog said...

all the pumpkin hate for my creations and now you like it?
Yeah! So glad you finally found something pumpkin!!!

Choc Chip Uru @ Go Bake Yourself said...

A beautiful pumpkin pie my friend, delicious looking and texturally!

Cheers
CCU

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I prefer with no Bourbon in mine but it looks really yum.

Anonymous said...

wow....glorious pie...will love to have a slice of this treat :-)

Big Rigs 'n Lil' Cookies said...

It looks like the perfect pie, but I do understand your feelings about pumpkin. Let's just drink the bourbon, and try the chocolate crust with another filling!

scrambledhenfruit said...

Pumpkin's not my favorite either, but I always make at least one pie for Thanksgiving. That chocolate crust looks wowza! :)

Angie's Recipes said...

A fall perfect dessert! Pumpkin is definitely my favourite ingredient.

Joanne said...

I'm making this this week!! And I'm doing the brulee part. Will let you know how it turns out!

Pam said...

I personally like pumpkin pie but I've never had one with a chocolate crust. YUM.

Beth said...

I do like pumpkin pie, but I don't use pumpkin in a lot of other recipes. While I enjoy it, a little goes a long way for me.

~~louise~~ said...

I'm on the fence about pumpkin, Grace. This time of year it seems like you just can't get away from it. Yet, it really isn't something I think about the rest of the year. Although I will eat Pumpkin Pie, I would say "Oh my gosh I need a Pumpkin Pie Now!" I will often say such a thing if it involves gushy or chocolate though:)

That said, I think you should double up on the bourbon fur sure and perhaps use a more robust maple syrup (B grade) But, as I look at your pumpkin pie now, I must admit, I sure wouldn't mind a sliver.

Thanks for sharing, Grace...

P.S. I suppose if you were to use fresh pumpkin, unlike the puree in the recipe, you could try roasting it first:)

Janet Rudolph said...

Amazing... love this combination..

Caroline Taylor said...

I'm not that keen on pumpkin either but this might change my mind!

kellypea said...

Stopped by to say hello and apologize for being such a slacker. Haven't been reading too many blogs lately :( But in the spirit of old times, I'll throw in my 12 cents. The pie looks great. I do like pumpkin but am a current boycott group of one on the pumpkin spice craze. Especially when you consider most of that stuff is flavored with fake crap. :D Pie? I'll take pie any day. Hope you're doing well! (ps -- I get your updates by email, so I'm never too far behind on my reading here!)

Rosita Vargas said...

Me encantarĂ­a probarlo tiene que estar buenĂ­simo precioso color se ve muy suave,abrazos.

CQUEK said...

Seriously though, love your recipies!

I Wilkerson said...

It's always disappointing when a recipe doesn't live up to your hopes... (And then every time I attempt to perfect something sweet I swear I gain 5 lbs.) But a great chocolate crust--mmm...

Nutmeg Nanny said...

Oh yum, this pie is perfect :) the addition of maple and bourbon really put it over the top, for me!

Jeff @ Cheese-burger.net said...

This looks very delicious. I'm going to try making this with twice as much bourbon.