Helen Kents Pumpkin Pie Recipes

JULIA CHILD'S AUNT HELEN'S FLUFFY PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 450 degrees and place rack in center of oven. Separate eggs and set aside.
• Using a mixer, blender or large bowl, blend pumpkin, the 2 cups of the sugars, 1 teaspoon salt, molasses, bourbon or rum (if using), cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, egg yolks, cream and milk until smooth. Add more milk, a tablespoon at a time, if the mixture is stiff: it should be a soft purée.
• In a clean bowl, whip egg whites until foaming. Whip in a pinch of salt, then gradually whip in remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until shiny white peaks form. Beat 1/4 of the whites thoroughly into pumpkin mixture; gently fold in the rest.
• Immediately ladle filling into the shells, filling to just below the rim of the pan. Place in oven and bake just until rim of crust begins to turn gold, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 375 and bake another 25 to 30 minutes, until a tester inserted into the filling 2 inches from the rim comes out clean. (The center should still be a bit wet; it will cook more as it cools.) If the rim of the crust starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil.
• Immediately turn oven off, leave door ajar (stick in a wooden spoon to hold it open if necessary) and let sit 20 to 30 minutes more as the oven cools; this will prevent the filling from turning watery. Serve warm, or let cool, wrap tightly and refrigerate for up to 2 days. Let pie come to room temperature before serving.

HELEN'S PRICELESS PUMPKIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Whisk buttermilk, pumpkin puree, egg yolks, sugar, and vanilla extract together in a bowl until blended. Whisk in melted butter.
• Whisk cake flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together in a bowl. Add flour mixture to buttermilk mixture and whisk to combine.
• Beat egg whites in a glass or metal bowl until soft peaks form. Lift your beater or whisk straight up: the egg whites will form soft mounds rather than a sharp peak. Fold egg whites into buttermilk-flour mixture to form pancake batter.
• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium heat. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the griddle and cook until bubbles form on top, 1 to 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the other side, 1 to 2 minutes. Repeat with remaining batter.

GRANDMA HELEN'S PUMPKIN CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 325 degrees if using a Pyrex Glass pan
• Grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan or two 8- or 9-inch round cake pans.
• In medium bowl with electric mixer, beat eggs until frothy.
• Add sugar, pumpkin, oil, spice and vanilla.
• Beat on low speed until combined, then increase to medium speed.
• Beat 1 minute.
• Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; beat on low speed for 2 minutes.
• Add nuts and stir to combine.
• Pour into baking pan.
• Bake on center rack for about 40 minutes (30 to 35 minutes for layers) until cake is golden brown and top springs back when lightly pressed.
• Let cool in pan on rack for at least 1 hour before frosting.
• (For a layer cake, let cool 15 minutes, remove cake from pans and let cool completely before frosting.) For frosting: Beat butter and cream cheese with electric mixer until fluffy.
• Add confectioners' sugar and vanilla and beat on low speed until fluffy.
• Add more powdered sugar if necessary to make a stiffer frosting.
• Store cake in the refrigerator.

HELEN KENT'S APPLE PIE WITH QUINCE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the quinces in a saucepan, cover with water and place over high heat. Boil until they begin to soften, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain. When cool, core and cut them into thin slices.
• In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Using a fork, gently blend the shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Combine the egg white, water and vinegar and add to the mixture. Blend gently with a fork until the ingredients just hold together.
• Divide the dough into 4 equal balls. On a floured surface, roll out one ball of the dough to about 16 -inch thick. Ease the crust into a 9-inch dish and trim the edge with scissors. Repeat with another ball of dough and a second pie dish. Refrigerate the remaining dough.
• In a bowl, combine the sliced apples with the remaining sugar and the cinnamon. Place the apples into the pie crusts. Lay the slices of one quince on top of the apples of each pie. Roll out the 2 remaining balls into 10-inch circles for the top crusts and cover the apple mixture, pinching along the perimeter to seal the edge. With a sharp knife make 8 small cuts in the top crusts. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes in the middle of the oven until the crust is golden and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm with cheddar cheese.

SARA'S PUMPKIN PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine the sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, cloves, pumpkin puree, evaporated milk and eggs; blending until smooth. Pour batter into the prepared unbaked pie shell.
• Bake at 425 degrees F (220 degrees C) for 15 minutes then lower oven temperature to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Continue to bake for about another 40 minutes or until pie is firm.