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Obsessions of a Girl

xoxo

Saschie

Pumpkin Pie

I like to take advantage of all things autumn. Especially food. Butternut squash soup, hearty and cozy dinners, and pumpkin of course. For Thanksgiving I made my very first pumpkin pie from scratch. It was easy and super tasty! Much better than anything I have bought from a store.

Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Pastry:

• 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small chunks
• 2 tablespoons ice water, plus more if needed
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten

Filling:

• 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• Pinch salt
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

Directions

Make the pastry: combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add the butter and mix with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Pour in the ice water and work it in to bind the dough until it holds together without being too wet or sticky. Squeeze a small amount together, if it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form the dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 30 minutes.

Sprinkle the counter and a rolling pin lightly with flour. Roll the dough out into a 10-inch circle. Carefully roll the dough up onto the pin and lay it inside a 9-inch pie pan. Press the dough firmly into the bottom and sides so it fits tightly. Trim the excess dough around the rim and pinch the edges to form a border. Place thecrust on a sheet pan to catch any spills. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Filling: Puree the pumpkin in a food processor with the butter and a pinch of salt. Measure 1 1/2 cups puree into a bowl. In another bowl beat the eggs and sugar until the sugar has melted. Add the eggs to the pumpkin puree and whisk well. Add the cream,cinnamon, and nutmeg and stir well to combine. Pour the mixture into the pie shell, and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Brush the pastry with the beaten egg white. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and bake until the pie is set but still jiggles slightly, about 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Sugar Fix

I finally checked out Thomas Haas’ Bakery on West Broadway. It was about time. Despite having once eaten one of their three tiered box of chocolates almost entirely by myself, I hadn’t made my way to experience the store for myself.

It was lovely.

Display cases filled with sugary treats that you can pass off as breakfast and rows and rows of truffles and  macaroons; it was a sugar heaven. In addition to the sweets and freshly baked goodies, there was a friendly staff that was keen on giving me my much needed caffeine fix. Definitely a great spot for a coffee date or an afternoon treat.

Sunny Starts

We were blessed in Vancouver with the most gorgeous weather these past few days. I took advantage of the sun by photographing on my rooftop patio. Happy Monday!

Dreaming of Dinner

I am going to be ambitious this weekend. I’m planning on making, all from scratch of course, cranberry sauce, candied yams, corn bread muffins, and of course, pumpkin pie. I’m not crazy so I’m not doing the turkey. I have to ease myself into this somewhat. Besides the fact that I have a economical size oven in my apartment, I still have very little for kitchen supplies so this is all going to be done at my parent’s house. My plan is to have a perfect (or perfectly imperfect) Thanksgiving dinner, and these lovely kitchen things would make cooking so much more fun!

From the top:

• 3-D Toile Full Apron – $44.00
• Imprinted Palette Egg Caddy – $28.00
• Hot Spot Rolling Pin – $20.00
• Tea and Toast Butter Dish – $14.00
• Text-Tile Potholders – $14.00
• Afterglow Dishtowels – $28.00

Have a great Thanksgiving weekend!