Nonni's Pumpkin Pie
My great-grandmother, who we called “Nonni” was by far and away the best cook I’ve ever known. The woman could make anything, from scratch, by hand, and from memory! And she never let anything hit the table without it being perfect! These days I regret being a picky eater as a kid (shocking, I know!) and missing out on her gnocchi, ragu, and other things that I wasn’t interested in. But one thing I never shook my head at was her pumpkin pie!
Obviously, not an Italian dish, it’s clearly something she learned once she came to this country! And since she so enjoyed being the best cook in the family, it wasn’t until she passed that we found her recipe! Actually, we found quite a few recipes while cleaning out her kitchen. But this one always made me laugh, as it was a clipping from a newspaper, with ingredients crossed out, re-written and notes along the margins! Much like I do these days, she started with one person’s recipe and made it completely her own! Pulling on her knowledge of cooking and baking, adding in flavors she loved (Hello Grand Manier!) and changing the technique to suit her. And so, it is with great pride and affection that I give you, Nonni’s pumpkin pie.
Buon Appetito!
~Cara
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Nonni’s Pumpkin Pie
Makes 1, 9-inch pie
1 Homemade Pie Crust
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1/2 c. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. orange cognac liquor
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
4 eggs
1/2 c. heavy cream
1/2 c. milk
Preheat oven to 450°.
Prepare pie crust in pie plate and place in refrigerator to chill.
Separate eggs. Set whites aside.
In a medium bowl, combine pumpkin, sugars, liquor, cream, milk, and egg yolks. Mix well.
In a small bowl combine salt, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and clove. Pour spice mixture into pumpkin mixture and blend again.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Fold egg whites into pumpkin mixture until just combined. Pour into pie shell and place immediately into the oven.
Bake at 450 for 15 minutes. Lower heat to 350 and bake for another 30 minutes. Turn off oven and leave the pie in with the door cracked for another 30 minutes. Allow pie to cool completely on the counter and then refrigerate to firmly set the pumpkin.
Buon Appetito!