Pumpkin pie holds a traditional place at the Thanksgiving table. This year, Candace Page decided to find the best pumpkin pie recipes in Vermont. Candace, who writes for The Burlington Free Press Savorvore Section, talked with pie bakers around the state and experimented in her own kitchen. She shares what she learned in today's VPR Cafe. Below is the recipe for the Butterly Bakery Pumpkin Pie With Maple Syrup.
Candace Page note: This recipe from Claire George of Montpelier’s Butterfly Bakery has become my new favorite. The recipe is unusual because it is made without milk. The result is a pie with a firmer texture and deeper pumpkin flavor. That makes it important to use fresh rather than canned pumpkin. Butternut squash, with its sweeter, less stringy flesh, is an even better choice. For a simpler dessert, cook the filling in a casserole dish without any piecrust and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Butterfly Bakery Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
1 3- to 4 lb pie pumpkin
2/3 cups maple syrup
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon ginger
¼ teaspoon cloves
1 unbaked 9” pie shell
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450° F
Slice the pumpkin in half from pole to pole. Scoop out the seeds and discard. Place the pumpkin, open side down, on a greased cookie sheet. Roast until a fork easily slides through the skin or the pumpkin, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.
Scoop out the flesh of the pumpkin into a food processor and puree. In a large bowl, beat the eggs until uniformly yellow. Add 1½ cups pureed pumpkin, maple syrup and vanilla. Whisk until smooth.
Whisk in the cinnamon, ginger and cloves.
Pour mixture into the pie shell and bake for 20 minutes at 450°, lower the temperature to 350° and bake for another 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serves 8
The VPR Cafe is produced in collaboration with The Burlington Free Press and is made possible on VPR by City Market in Burlington.
Broadcast Sunday, November 9 at 10:50 a.m.
The audio for this program will be posted Friday, November 7 at 2 p.m.
