Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie

This year for Thanksgiving, I decided to make a pumpkin pie with a pecan topping - sort of combining the two pies into one. The pumpkin pie is sweetened with honey and a little brown sugar and uses a light buttermilk to lighten the pie instead of cream. Lots of spices are added to the filling, in addition to a nice splash of bourbon! The pecan topping is more like a layer of pecan pie than a traditional nutty crumble. I liked the combination here, but if I made this pie again, I might add some oats or flour to the topping to make it a little more crumbly... but that's just me. The flavor was great! If you do tend to like things on the sweeter side, consider adding a little more brown sugar to the pumpkin filling.

RECIPE: Maple Pecan Pumpkin Pie
adapted from Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook

INGREDIENTS:
Filling
1-crust pie dough (see below)
2 cups canned pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon peeled and grated ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 cup flour
3 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tablespoon brandy

Topping:
1 egg
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 tablespoon brandy

DIRECTIONS:
Lay crust in 9-inch pie plate, crimp edges as desired, and chill in freezer for 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375F. Line chilled pie shell with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or baking weights. Bake on center rack of oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Remove shell from oven and let sit for 15-20 minutes before removing paper and beans. Check to see if bottom of the shell is done. If the bottom still looks wet, return to oven for 2-3 minutes. If bubbles appear on the bottom of the crust, carefully depress them with a dishtowel, taking care to avoid the escaping steam. The entire pie shell should have a light, golden brown color. Let cool completely before filling.

Reduce oven temperature to 325F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Combine pumpkin, brown sugar, cloves, and flour in a medium bowl. Whisk until ingredients are thoroughly combined, about 1 minute. Add eggs, buttermilk, and brandy and mix until incorporated.

Place pre-baked pie shell on the prepared baking sheet and pour the filling into the shell. Bake pie on center rack of oven for 55-60 minutes, or until center is just set.

Meanwhile, make topping. Mix all topping ingredients together until thoroughly combined.The topping can be made in advance and stored in the fridge.

Remove pie from oven and spoon topping on top. Gently spread topping evenly over the pie, taking care not to push the topping down to the fragile pie filling. Return the pie to the oven and bake for another 20-25 minutes. The topping will be set and golden brown. Let pie cool to room temperature, then dust the edges with a little powdered sugar.

(my favorite pie crust)
2.5 all purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
1.5 teaspoons salt
6 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
3/4 and 2 tablespoons cup vegetable shortening, chilled
1/2 cup ice water

Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Add butter and cut into the flour until texture is coarse and crumbly (use hands or two forks). Add shortening until dough is crumbly again. Add ice water and mix just until water is incorporated. The dough will be a little sticky, so dust hands and work surface with flour. Remove dough from bowl and form into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and form dough into a flatter disk. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Chill for a few days in the fridge, or freeze for several months.

On a lightly floured surface, roll pie dough from the center to the edge into a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to your pie plate (either roll pastry around rolling pin, or gently fold the circle into quarters to lift into dish then gently unfold back into a circle). Do not stretch the crust to fit! Gently lift and place back down. Trim the pastry to 1 inch beyond the edge of the plate. Fold under extra pastry and crimp edge as you desire.