Pumpkin pie in walnut crust - country living

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
Walnut Pastry (recipe follows)
½ cup Firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1 teaspoon Ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon Salt
½ teaspoon Ground ginger
½ teaspoon Ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon Ground cloves
1 can (16-oz) or 2 C pureed cooked pumpkin
2 larges Eggs
1 cup Evaporated milk

Directions

1. Prepare Walnut Pastry. Between 2 sheets of floured waxed paper, roll out one ball of pastry to an 11-inch round. Remove top sheet of paper and invert pastry into 9-inch pie plate, letting excess extend over edge. Remove remaining sheet of waxed paper. Trim pastry edge even with rim of pie plate.

2. To make braided pastry, between 2 sheets of floured waxed paper, roll out remaining ball of pastry and pastry scraps to a 10 by 4½-inch rectangle. Remove top sheet of waxed paper. Cut rectangle lengthwise into twelve ⅛-inch-wide strips. Braid 3 strips together; repeat 3 times with remaining strips. With water, moisten rim of pastry in pie plate. Place braids around rim of pie plate. Trim off any excess braid and pat braid ends together where they meet.

3. Heat oven to 425'F. In large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. With electric mixer on medium speed, beat in pumpkin until combined. Add eggs and milk; beat until smooth and well blended. Pour pumpkin mixture into pastry-lined pie plate.

4. Bake pie 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350'F and bake 35 minutes longer or until center of pie is set. Cool pie on wire rack to room temperature, then serve or refrigerate.

Walnut Pastry: In medium-size bowl, combine 2 C unsifted all-purpose nour, ½ C very finely chopped walnuts, 3 T sugar, and ¼ tea- spoon salt. With pastry blender or 2 knives, cut in ⅔ C chilled vegetable shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add 4 to 5 T ice water, 1 T at a time, and stir lightly with fork just until soft, manageable pastry forms. Divide pastry into 2 balls and roll out as directed in recipe.

Country Living/Oct/94 Scanned & edited by Di Pahl & <gg>

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