Fluffy Pumpkin Pie From Julia Child’s Aunt Helen, Via Julia Moskin Recipe on Food52 (2024)

Bake

by: Food52

October7,2021

5

3 Ratings

  • Prep time 50 minutes
  • Cook time 45 minutes
  • makes 2 pies

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Author Notes

"This recipe was published in Parade in November 1982, when Julia Child was writing a recipe column for the magazine. As all cooks (and writers) know, Thanksgiving is an adventure and a challenge: how to come up with fresh ideas that keep the dish on the right side of tradition? In this pie, Mrs. Child’s addition of molasses, extra spices, and especially bourbon breathes new life into the filling. If you like your desserts on the spicy side, add an extra tablespoon of molasses and a pinch of black pepper." —Julia Moskin
Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Recipe excerpted with permission from The Essential New York Times Cookbook: The Recipes of Record by Amanda Hesser, published by ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 10th Anniversary edition. © 2021. —The Editors

  • Test Kitchen-Approved

What You'll Need

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Fluffy Pumpkin Pie From Julia Child’s Aunt Helen, Via JuliaMoskin

Ingredients
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans (3½ cups) pumpkin purée
  • 1 cuplight brown sugar
  • 1 cupplus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoonsmolasses
  • 3 tablespoonsbourbon or dark rum (optional)
  • 3 teaspoonsground cinnamon
  • 3 teaspoonsground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoonground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoonground cloves
  • 1 cupheavy cream
  • 3/4 cupwhole milk, more as needed
  • 2 unbaked 9-inch pie shells, or one 11-inch pie shell (see recipe)
Directions
  1. Heat oven to 450°F and place a rack in center of oven. Separate the eggs and set aside.
  2. Using a mixer, blender, or large bowl, blend the pumpkin, both 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.
  3. In a clean bowl, whip the egg whites until foaming. Whip in a pinch of salt, then gradually whip in the remaining 2 tablespoons sugar until shiny white peaks form. Beat a quarter of the whites thoroughly into the pumpkin mixture; gently fold in the rest.
  4. Immediately ladle the filling into the shells, filling to just below the rim of the pan. Place in the oven and bake just until the rim of the crust begins to turn golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and bake for 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.
  5. Immediately turn the oven off, leave the 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 the pie come to room temperature before serving.

Tags:

  • Pie
  • French
  • Cinnamon
  • Molasses
  • Rum
  • Ginger
  • Pumpkin
  • Nutmeg
  • Bake
  • Dessert

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5 Reviews

Alana November 24, 2023

This was absolutely fabulous. I made it in a graham cracker crust which was perfect combination. I added slightly more molasses and bourbon but did not add the extra water because I was using pumpkin puree from scratch which tends to be a little wetter. Absolutely fantastic.

Alana November 24, 2023

Oops, I meant to say that I did not add the extra milk because the liquid volume was enough for the consistency because I used homemade pumpkin puree.

Nb53 November 23, 2021

Made two pies today! Best pumpkin pie recipe ever. Thank you for sharing this . The molasses and bourbon are the secret to making this one over the top.

christina November 12, 2021

This pumpkin pie was delicious. I love the addition of molasses. I usually make my pumpkin pie with the Cooks illustrated recipe.

I have a couple of concerns. The pie crust did turn golden but the filling did not fully stay together. When I did cut a slice. I actually cooked it longer Then than what was called for. Maybe my pie dish was too deep so therefore the feeling was too deep.
I am going to make it again because I love the filling so much but this time I may try to par bake the crust. I would love to know anyone else’s thoughts on this. It just seems weird not to par bake a pumpkin pie crust a single crust pie.

Laura October 29, 2021

Saw this recipe in an article in Bloomberg, but the spices they listed didn't seem like enough. Glad I checked Food52 for the recipe as there must've been a typo: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-10-29/a-julia-child-pumpkin-pie-recipe-to-delight-the-tiktok-crowd?sref=vtkGmu16
Look forward to trying this!!

Fluffy Pumpkin Pie From Julia Child’s Aunt Helen, Via Julia Moskin Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

When making pumpkin pie Why is it important to let the filling sit overnight before baking? ›

Refrigeration is the secret to a more flavorsome pie

As your bowl of pumpkin pie filling sits in the fridge overnight, it allows time for the spices to undergo blooming.

What happened to cause the pumpkin pie to weep after it was baked? ›

Why Is My Pumpkin Pie Weeping? Another common problem that occurs when baking pumpkin pie is when you notice water on the top of the pie or leaking out from the filling. Why this happens: Either the pie was overbaked, or it was placed in the fridge before cooling completely.

Does Ina Garten have a pumpkin pie recipe? ›

Although she doesn't often stray from traditional flavors, her pumpkin pie recipe is actually pretty unique. The classic warm spices — cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg — are there, but what makes Ina's recipe special is the addition of orange zest and dark rum.

Why is pumpkin pie pie and not a tart? ›

PiesTarts – If you've ever thought a tart was pie, you're forgiven because they're incredibly similar. The main difference is that tarts only have a bottom crust, and the crust is much thicker than a pie crust.

How do you keep the bottom crust of pumpkin pie from getting soggy? ›

Often, blind-baking solves this problem. If you're making a single crust custard-filled pie, like a pumpkin pie, bake the pie dough first before adding filling to allow some of the moisture in the crust to evaporate. You can also totally blind-bake fruit pies.

Does pie crust need to be prebaked for pumpkin pie? ›

But if you sigh in disappointment when your first bite reveals a bottom crust that's pale and pasty rather than golden brown, try this: Prebake your crust before adding the pumpkin pie filling. Contrary to what you might think, baking the crust again once you've added its filling won't cause it to burn or toughen up.

Can you put an undercooked pumpkin pie back in the oven? ›

Note that if your test determines an undercooked pumpkin pie, return it to the oven and bake a few minutes longer before testing it again.

Why is my pumpkin pie puffy? ›

Any oven setting over 350 degrees F is likely overdoing it for a pumpkin pie. Baking in a too-hot oven makes the custard puff up like a soufflé and then fall when it cools.

Why is my pumpkin pie so wet in the middle? ›

A majority of the time it's because the pie was not cooked long enough and/or not at the right temperature. Other things can contribute to runny filling is too much milk, not enough egg or depending on the recipe, thickener like cornstarch.

What is the difference between Libby's pumpkin and pumpkin pie filling? ›

While the canned pumpkin puree is just canned pumpkin, the Libby "Canned Pumpkin Pie Filling" also has sugar syrup, natural flavoring, salt and spices.

Why is evaporated milk used in pumpkin pie? ›

Evaporated milk: A can of evaporated milk lends richness and helps thicken the pie filling.

Does Patti Labelle make pumpkin pie? ›

Patti Labelle's Easy Pumpkin Pie Recipe- Southern Soul Food

Distinctive dishes are precisely prepared, using fresh ingredients.

Why isn't it called crack pie anymore? ›

In the letter addressed both to consumers and employees, Tosi writes that “the old name was getting in the way” of the bakery's core mission “to spread joy and inspire celebration” — essentially making people feel unwelcome. “While change is never easy, we feel this is the right decision,” she writes.

What is it called when you bake a pie without filling? ›

Published: 11/06/2022. Use this page to learn how to blind bake a pie crust, whether that's fully blind-baking before adding a no-bake filling, or partially baking (par-baking) the crust before returning to the oven with a filling.

What country invented pumpkin pie? ›

The first version of pumpkinpie originated when British colonists sliced off the top of the pumpkin, removed its seeds, and filled the hollow with milk, spices, and honey. Baked in hot ashes, the end result was a sort of pudding rather than a pie.

Does pumpkin pie have to sit overnight? ›

FDA says to leave pumpkin pie out no more then 2 hours and then put it in the refrigerator. It's a good idea to cover it up also.

Does pumpkin pie need to set overnight? ›

Let the pumpkin pie cool at room temperature for up to 2 hours. Once the pumpkin pie is cool to the touch, loosely wrap it in plastic wrap. Place the pumpkin pie in the refrigerator and store it there for up to 4 days.

Does pie dough have to sit overnight? ›

Let them rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours, but ideally overnight. Resting them in the fridge allows the gluten to settle and the moisture to despurse evenly throughout the pie crust.

Should pie filling be cold before baking? ›

The Pie Filling should be at room temperature and not cold before filling the pie, for two reasons. Firstly, fridge-cold filling is stiff and difficult to evenly pack into the pie crust. Secondly, puff pastry sitting atop fridge-cold filling doesn't cook as evenly.

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