"Miro Uskokovic, pastry chef from Gramercy Tavern, stopped by FeedfeedBrooklyn to show us how to make his
Pumpkin Maple Meringue Pie."
Pumpkin Maple Meringue Pie
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Recipe Intro From mirouskokovic
Miro’s Pie Tips:
Everything needs to be cold, colder, freezing! That means chill your flour, freeze your butter and keep all ingredients as cold as possible for a super flaky crust.
Depending on the brand of flour you use, moisture levels in the flour, and ambient weather conditions (dry winter vs. humid summers, for instance), you may find you need to add a little more water to bring the dough together. If so, add cold water a tablespoon at a time, checking periodically before adding more. Remember, this dough will look drier even with the right amount of water. How can you tell your dough is just right and not too dry? Squeeze a small handful of dough in your fist. If it holds together without falling apart, you’re good to go!
It’s important to wrap the dough in parchment and not plastic wrap. Plastic wrap doesn’t let the dough breathe, and any moisture will condense on the surface, making the dough sticky on the outside. This is especially evident when you thaw frozen pie dough.
I never crimp pie dough for a couple of reasons. One, a perfect crust is so gorgeously flaky, it’s a shame to squish those layers together with crimping. Two, all that flakiness means even if you do crimp the pie, it will puff and lose its shape.
Pie dough will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. It can be frozen (slip the parchment wrapped blocks into zip top bags and seal well), for up to 3 months. Thaw the frozen dough, still wrapped, in the fridge overnight before using. The lined pie crust can be frozen (again, store in zip top bags or wrap in plastic wrap) for up to 3 months. Blind baked and fully baked pie crusts will keep in the fridge (in zip top bag or plastic wrapped) for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 1 month. Both can be refreshed in a hot 350°F oven for 10 minutes before using.
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- Recipe Card
Prep time 2hrs
Cook time 1hr 15mins
Serves or Makes: 1 (9-inch) pie
Recipe Card
For the Pie Crust:
ingredients
- 2 cups (250 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup cold water
- 1/4 cup full fat sour cream, cold
- 1 tablespoon organic cane sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, frozen
- 1 egg, beaten with a pinch of salt
For the Pie Crust:
Method
Step 1
Place flour into a large metal bowl and refrigerate until cold to the touch, at least 20 minutes. In a small bowl, whisk water, sour cream, sugar and salt using a fork or small whisk. Place in the fridge too.
Step 2
Grate the frozen butter using a food processor fitted with a grater attachment or a box grater onto a parchment lined sheet tray, then chill the grated butter for about 10 minutes to make sure everything is still cold.
Step 3
To the cold flour, add cold, grated butter and use your hands to mix together. Make a well in the center and pour in cold sour cream mixture. Use a silicone spatula to mix until everything just comes together. Use your hands if needed. Dump mixture onto a sheet of parchment paper. With your hands, gently pat and press it into a shaggy disk. Wrap securely in parchment (channel your inner bodega man with his perfect sandwich-wrapping skills) and let it rest in the fridge for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. As dough rests, the flour will hydrate, and it will become smooth and more like the pie dough you’d expect.
Step 4
When ready to use, let the dough sit at room temperature for 15-20 minutes so it’s easier to roll out. If it’s too cold, it will crack when rolling. The ideal dough temperature should be somewhere between 65-70°F. Dust the counter generously with flour to help roll out the pie crust. You should be able to roll dough into a circle approximately 10-inch across and ¼-inch thick. Before lining the pie tin, use a pastry brush to way all excess flour. Press the dough carefully into the tin. Use a sharp paring knife or scissors to trim dough flush with the rim of the pie tin.
Step 5
After lining the pie tin, chill the pie crust for at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place the still chilled pie crust on a half-sheet tray. Crumple a large square of parchment in your fist, unfold and place over the pie crust. Fill the parchment with uncooked lentils, small beans or rice to come all the way to the top of the crust.
Step 6
Bake the weighed down pie crust in the pre-heated oven for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully lift off the parchment and pie weights. Return pie crust to oven and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes. The crust should be deep golden brown on the edges and outside, the color of light brown sugar. If it bubbles and puffs during this time, just gently press it down with a clean kitchen towel. When done brush the crust thoroughly with a light coating of egg wash. Put back in the oven and bake 1 minute to set the coating.
For the Pumpkin Custard:
ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (350g) heavy cream
- 1/2 cup (100g) organic cane sugar
- 1/3 cup (50g) light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder
- 2 eggs
- 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
For the Pumpkin Custard:
Step 1
In a large bowl, blend everything with an immersion hand blender until combined and smooth.
For the Maple Meringue:
ingredients
- 3 large (90g) egg whites
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup (180g) maple sugar
- 1/3 cup (70g) water
- 2 teaspoons (5g) cornstarch
For the Maple Meringue:
Step 1
In a bowl of a stand mixer, combine egg whites and cream of tartar and start whipping on medium speed. When eggs are frothy, begin slowly adding sugar and continue whipping on medium speed. Meanwhile, make a slurry by combining water and starch in a small saucepan. Bring to boil over medium-high heat while constantly stirring. Reduce heat to low and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add hot slurry to the whites and continue to whip until stiff peaks form.
To Assemble:
Step 1
Preheat oven to 325°F. Pour pumpkin custard into pre-baked pie crust and smooth the top with a spatula. Bake for 45-60 minutes until slightly puffed and set on the sides, but still jiggly like a jelly in the middle. Let cool completely, then chill for 1 hour. When pie is completely cool and set, top with meringue and torch until golden. Slice and serve.