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From The FamilyCircle All-time Favorite Recipes Doubleday, 1999

Caramel Pumpkin Pie

Be sure to use solid-pack pumpkin puree, not pie filling, which can have additives, including sugar.

Per serving: 335 calories, 3 grams protein, 19 grams fat, 39 grams carbohydrate, 281 mg sodium, 91 mg cholesterol.
makes 12 servings

Ingredients:

Double-Crust Pie Pastry (one recipe follows this one)

One-half cup evaporated milk

One-quarter cup granulated sugar

1 cup heavy or light cream

Three-fourths cup packed dark-brown sugar

2 tablespoons honey

2 cups canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling)

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

One-half teaspoon ground nutmeg

One-eighth teaspoon ground cloves

One-fourth teaspoon salt

3 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla

Whipped cream for garnish (optional)

1. Position rack in bottom third of oven. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Roll out one disc of dough on a well-floured surface into an 11-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Cut out leaf shapes from other disc of dough. Line pie shell with aluminum foil; fill with dried beans or rice. Place on a baking sheet with leaf croutons.

3. Bake in heated 425 degree oven 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown. Remove foil with beans; remove leaves to a wire rack to cool. Return pie shell to oven. Bake until bottom sets, pricking with a fork any places that bubble up, about 5 minutes. Remove to a rack to cool. Leave oven on.

4. In a small saucepan, heat evaporated milk until small bubbles appear around edge of pan. Remove from heat.

5. Prepare caramel: Place granulated sugar in a large heavy saucepan. Heat over medium heat, without stirring, until sugar begins to melt. Tilt pan all around and continue melting until syrup is medium brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Carefully add hot milk all at once; mixture will bubble up, then subside. Stir in cream, brown sugar and honey; stir to dissolve sugar. If clumps do not dissolve, simmer briefly, stirring, 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature.

6. Place pumpkin puree in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cornstarch, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt; stir to blend. Whisk in eggs, one at a time. Stir in caramel and vanilla. Turn filling into pie shell. Place on baking sheet.

7. Bake in heated 425 degree oven 10 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 325 degrees. Continue to bake about 45 minutes or until center of filling is set. Turn oven off. Leave pie in oven with door partially open. Let cool completely, 2 hours. Garnish top with pastry leaves. Serve with whipped cream if you wish.

Double-crust Pie Pastry

This crust is simply the best - half butter for flavor and half vegetable shortening for flakiness.

To make pie crust in a food processor combine flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the steel blades. Pulse just to mix. Add butter and shortening. Whirl until mixture has texture of coarse meal, about 30 minutes. With machine running, add cold water in a slow and steady stream just until mixture begins to form a ball. Proceed with step 4 of Double-crust Pie Pastry recipe.
makes two 9-inch crusts

Ingredients:

2 and one-half cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

One-half cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

One-half cup solid vegetable shortening, chilled and cut into small pieces

6 to 7 tablespoons cold water

1. Mix flour and salt in a medium-size bowl.

2. Cut in butter and shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives used scissor fashion until mixture resembles coarse meal.

3. Sprinkle cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, over mixture, mixing lightly with a fork after each addition, until pastry is just moist enough to hold together.

4. Divide pastry in half; shape each half into a disc. Cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate until well chilled about 30 minutes.

Bake crust at 425 degrees for 13 to 15 minutes before adding pie filling.

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