Dana McCauley, Judge on Food Network Canada’s “Recipe to Riches”/Director of Innovation and Product Development for Janes Family Food, Toronto
How do you transport your items safely?
“Transporting pie is tricky business since the crust is so fragile. Ideally, I stop at the bulk store and pick up baker’s boxes to protect pies during travel; but if time runs out I’ve been known to sit in the passenger seat with a t-towel draped over my lap cradling a pie so that it is well protected en route.”
Dana’s shared a recipe for Pumpkin Pie:
Ingredients:
- Pastry for 9-inch (23 cm) single-crust pie (I recommend a lard crust with this filling since it’s flakiness complements the custard texture of the filling nicely.)
- 2 eggs
- 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) cooked pumpkin purée
- 1 cup (250 mL) packed dark brown sugar
- 3/4 cup (175 mL) light cream or milk
- 2 tsp (10 mL) ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp (5 mL) ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp (2 mL) salt
Instructions:
- Roll out pastry and fit into 9-inch (23 cm) pie plate. Trim pastry, leaving 1-inch (2.5 cm) overhang; fold under and flute edge using your knuckles to press on alternate sides of the dough. Prick the bottom and sides of the shell all over. Chill for 30 minutes.
- Line pastry shell with parchment paper; fill evenly with pie weights or dried beans. Bake on lowest rack in 400°F (200°C) oven for 10 minutes; remove weights and foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes longer or until pastry opaque. Cool to room temperature.
- Beat the eggs lightly. Blend in pumpkin, sugar, cream, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and salt, and pour into pastry shell.
- Bake on lowest rack in 350°F (180°C) oven for about 45 minutes or until filling is set enough that when you jiggle the pie plate the middle doesn’t move. Prop the door to the oven open a few inches and let the pie cool almost completely in the oven.
