HONEY PUMPKIN PIE

 

MORE PIE!!!! pumpkin pie to be exact. this one is a classic with a little vermont farmed honey twist. i recently received the most gorgeous pottery from farmhouse pottery, which included honey & the cutest of all honey pots. i knew with canadian thanksgiving approaching us this weekend the first pie i wanted to make in my new dish is a pumpkin pie! especially after spending this past weekend at the pumpkin patch. i used fresh steamed pumpkin pure that my aunt cooked up & it makes a huge difference (p.s. thank you aunt mira for doing the messy work for me)! fresh pumpkin offers a much more vibrant orange colour & has a natural texture to it compared to the mushy canned version. aside from honey, the pie is sweetened with raw sugar (this pie is sounding pretty healthy eh?!) & then finished off with heavy cream (ok.. maybe not). i kept the decorating simple & finished it off with the most festive braided crust suited to grace any holiday table! i promise braiding pastry dough is easier then it looks! don't be intimidated, it's just like braiding hair so give it a try! happy thanksgiving weekend my fellow canadians! hope it's filled with family, friends, turkey & all the pie in the world xo.

ingredients

for the dough

  • 3 cups all purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cold & cubed
  • 1/3 cup vegetable shortening, cold
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup ice water
  • 1 egg, for egg wash (optional)

for the filling

  • 2 cups pumpkin pure (fresh or canned)
  • 1/2 cup raw sugar
  • 1/2 cup honey
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 1/4 cup heavy cream, cold
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

directions

  • for the dough: using a food processor pulse the flour, salt and sugar. add the cubed butter, shortening and vanilla. pulse until a crumb like mixture forms. add the cold water one tablespoon at a time until the crumbs begin to come together. turn out onto a pastry board and shape dough into a disk. if dough seems wet, add a bit more flour. if the dough seems dry, add a bit more water. wrap in cling wrap and refrigerate for minimum 2 hours.

  • for the filling: in a large mixing bowl whisk pumpkin, sugar, honey and eggs until smooth. add your cream, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. continue to stir until a silky batter is formed.

  • for assembly: preheat oven to 375 degrees. roll out the pie dough between 3/4 cm and 1 cm thick. line pie dish, crimp or braid edges & poke air holes. using pie beads (or foil wrapped dried beans/rice) pre bake the crust for 15-20 minutes. remove from oven, add the filling and bake for an additional 45-60 minutes. if the top or edges begin to brown too fast, cover the pie with foil. remove from oven and let set for 4-6 hours before serving. serve with fresh whipped cream.. bonus points for honey sweetened whipped cream!

PUMPKIN PATCH

 

i went to the pumpkin patch!!!! i seriously have not been to one in over a decade & it was so much fun. we climbed hay, went through a corn maze (well, more of a corn path then a maze.. maybe it would have been a bit more challenging if i was the appropriate age), went through the pumpkin fields, drank apple cider, jumped on a blow up trampoline & picked the perfect pumpkin to carve for halloween. all this well wearing my favourite new fall cardigan by gentle fawn. it was the best gloomy fall day! i also took home five pie pumpkins as well, including my favourite whimsicle looking white pumpkins! these are probably meant to bake with or something, but i'm going to keep them as festive decor & fill every single corner of my apartment with cute pumpkins. what's your favourite fall activity?!

want the look? get it here. sweater | scarf | jeans | boots

PUMPKIN SPICE DONUTS

 

this weekend was a very pumpkin filled weekend. i fried up these pumpkin spiced donuts, sipped on a pumpkin spice latte & spent a gloomy fall sunday afternoon at the pumpkin patch! i want to tell you ALL about the pumpkin patch, but i will do so in a separate post because it was so much fun that it deserves a post of its own (& because i took a million photos). these are a classic yeast based donut, not the cakey baked style pumpkin donuts i keep seeing online. so if you are like me & would rather a fried over baked donut than i made these for YOU. the donut itself contains pumpkin pie spices & the glaze is made with real pumpkin to get that perfect orange colour. these would be a fun addition to your thanksgiving table or to eat along side some fresh hot apple cider. a special thank you to fig & blue for the recipe help & donut inspiration! you can check out his blog here.

ingredients

for the donut

  • 3/4 cup whole milk, warm to touch
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
  • 4 tablespoons vegetable shortening, melted & cooled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon all spice
  • 1/4 teaspoon ginger
  • oil, for deep frying

for the glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 1 tablespoon pumpkin puree
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1/8 teaspoon ginger
  • 1 teaspoon whole milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

directions

  • in the bowl of a stand mixer with the dough hook attachment add milk, sugar, salt and yeast. let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast activates.
  • once the yeast has activated add shortening, egg and vanilla. mix until the egg has broken up (may have to do this manually with a fork).
  • sift in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, all spice and ginger. mix until a dough has formed & knead for 6-8 minutes. let dough rest in a greased bowl covered for 1-2 hours, or until it doubles in size.
  • once the dough has doubled in size, roll out dough to a 1/2 inch thickness & cut into desired doughnut shapes.
  • in a cast iron skillet or pot heat two inches of oil between 350 & 375 degrees. drop doughnuts in two to three at a time & fry for 20 seconds on each side.
  • remove from oil & transfer to a towel lined baking tray. repeat until you have run out of dough.
  • let donuts slightly cool while you make the pumpkin glaze.
  • for the glaze whisk sugar, pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, milk & vanilla until smooth. if the glaze is too thick, add a touch more milk. if the glaze is too thin add a touch more icing sugar.
  • finish off with some fall sprinkles.

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