If you’ve got crowds this holiday, you need this recipe. Being crunch fanatics, we’ve always thought pumpkin pies were just too darn soft. So rather than putting a top crust on the pie or just letting it go as a plain unadorned pumpkin filling (heaven forfend!), we’ve added a pecan-laced topping that fuses to the filling below, giving that creamy pumpkin concoction some great crunch. You’re on your own for the ice cream. (Did we mention we have some terrific choices in our book À La Mode?)
For the crust
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus additional for dusting
1 tablespoon granulated white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
16 tablespoons (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small chunks, plus additional for the sheet pan
1 large egg (cold from the refrigerator), whisked until smooth
At least ½ cup very cold water
1. Position the rack in the center of the oven. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. Whisk the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl until uniform. Cut in the butter chunks with a pastry cutter or a flatware fork until the mixture resembles coarse, white sand with almost no butter bits visible.
3. Stir in the egg until combined, then add the water and stir with a flatware fork until the mixture comes together as a soft dough, adding more water in 1-tablespoon increments as necessary.
4. Scrape this crust mixture into the prepared pan. Using clean, dry fingers, press it into a fairly even crust across the bottom and up the sides.
For the filling
Two 15-ounce cans solid-pack pumpkin
6 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup pineapple jam
1 cup evaporated whole milk
¾ cup granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground dried ginger
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
Put the pumpkin, eggs, pineapple jam, evaporated milk, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, and salt in a large blender. Cover and blend until smooth. Pour this mixture into the prepared crust.
For the topping
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted and cooled a few minutes
1. Mix the oats, pecans, brown sugar, flour, and melted butter in a medium bowl to make a loose, sandy amalgam. Gather it together by small handfuls, squeeze these together, then crumble them evenly over the filling in small pebbles and slightly larger chunks. (Don’t just sand or dust it!)
2. Bake until the filling is set and the topping is lightly browned, about 35 more minutes. Cool on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before serving.
TESTER NOTES
Make sure you use solid-pack canned pumpkin, not pumpkin pie filling.
