Citrus Pumpkin Pie #42

 Why I liked this pie:
-The citrus isn't overwhelming, but it is a really nice compliment to the pumpkin and nutmeg.  Also, I thought that the orange flavored whipped cream was a nice touch.
-If you haven't noticed already, it's kind of hard to make a pumpkin pie look good, but I thought that the zest looked really pretty on top (although it kind of looks like shredded cheese in the picture) and even when it was cut the crust and filling were firm and still looked good.

What I didn't like about this pie:
-While I loved the way the zest looked, I didn't love the way the zest tasted. I think that I should have put a little less zest on it or used something like candied orange peels. It might have just been that I got a big mouthful of zest on one of my bites and I thought it took away from the overall taste. So, take note, use a bit less zest than I used for a garnish or use something you can't get enough of--like candied orange peels.  And while we're talking about zest, I think that mixing the filling in the food processor or blender is the key to making this pie a success. It helps it to be smooth despite the added zest.

Pumpkin Pie Panel notes:
"Refreshing," "The citrus is a nice compliment to the nutmeg," "Love the crust!" "Liked the idea, but couldn't eat the whole thing." "Memorable flavors,"

While this wasn't the overall number one pie, it ranked as the best of the non-traditional pies. And although it had more ingredients than the other pies, I thought that it was easy to make and using the food processor to combine the filling was pretty brilliant (maybe that's really typical for pumpkin pies...I'm still learning). Also, while I really liked it and would be very happy to eat it if it was served at my Thanksgiving dinner, it wasn't my favorite of the night. However, you should know that this was probably Ryan's favorite pie. He loved how it held up, loved the slight variation on the traditional pumpkin, and loved the way it tasted as a left-over.

Thanksgiving timeline for this pie:

Make the crust on Tuesday night, roll out and freeze prepared dough early on Wednesday, cook pie on Wednesday night, cool (for about two hours after taking it out of the freezer), and chill until you're ready to serve.

Citrus Pumpkin Pie

(Adapted from Bon Appétit November 2006)
 All Butter Crust:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/2 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (or 1 stick)
1/4 cup ice cold water

Citrus Pumpkin Pie filling:

1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin or 2 cups roasted pumpkin

2 teaspoons grated orange peel

2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
3/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of ground cloves
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream

Topping:

1 cup chilled whipping cream

1 tablespoon sugar

2 tablespoon orange juice
Zest from one orange

DIRECTIONS:
Crust: cut butter into small squares and freeze or refrigerate while preparing other ingredients. Measure 1/4 cup water and also place in freezer until needed. Combine flour, sugar, salt and whisk ingredients together. Add cold butter and stir so butter squares are covered in flour.

Cut butter into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 70 percent of the cold water and stir to evenly distribute the moisture. Use your hands to combine the dough by squeezing and molding it into a ball--make sure you don't overwork it! If the dough is too dry, add the rest of the water and continue to combine. Once in a ball, flatten ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill for at least an hour.

Once chilled, roll out dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer rolled-out dough to prepared dish. Fold edges under and crimp, forming high border. Freeze prepared dough for at least an hour (this helps to keep your crust from shrinking).

Filling: Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 375°F. Line crust with foil or parchment paper; fill with dried beans. Bake 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans and bake until edges are light golden for about 10 minutes. Press crust with back of fork if bubbles . Cool at least 10 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Reposition oven rack to center.

Puree pumpkin in a food processor or blender. Mix in next 6 ingredients. Add eggs 1 at a time, pulsing after each addition. Gradually add cream, processing just until blended. Process 5 seconds longer.

Pour filling into warm crust. Bake until edges are puffed and center is set, about 1 hour. Cool completely on rack. Cover and chill. Can be made one day ahead.

Topping: Just before serving, whip cream until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and orange juice and whip again to combine. Top cooled pumpkin pie with cream and garnish with orange zest.