Let’s Eat: Pumpkin pie spice and everything nice!
By Heidi Sutton
For a comforting dish full of familiar cold-weather flavors, try this recipe for Pumpkin Pecan Rice Pudding Bars. Pumpkin-spice fanatics can enjoy their favorite ingredient mixed into a rice pudding base sweetened with coconut milk, brown sugar, vanilla extract, whipping cream and maple syrup.
Need to feed a crowd? Pumpkin Slab Pie is an easy way to make pumpkin pie for a lot of people and is perfect for the holidays, especially Thanksgiving.
Pumpkin Pecan Rice Pudding Bars
YIELD: Serves 4 to 6 people
INGREDIENTS:
2 cups white rice
1 cup pecans
4 cups coconut milk
1 can (15 ounces) pumpkin puree
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tablespoons maple syrup
DIRECTIONS:
Prepare rice according to package directions. Preheat oven to 350 F. Spread pecans on baking sheet and toast 8-10 minutes. Cool then chop.
In large saucepan over medium-high heat, combine milk, pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Slowly add about 1/2 cup hot liquid to eggs and beat well. Stir egg mixture back into saucepan and cook over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cooked rice, vanilla and pecans.
Pour mixture into greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish. Bake, uncovered, 30 minutes, or until knife inserted near center comes out clean.
Whip heavy cream to soft peaks then add maple syrup and continue beating until peaks form. Serve with warm pudding.
Tip: For sweeter pudding, increase brown sugar to 1 1/2 cups.
Pumpkin Slab Pie
YIELD: Makes 24 slices
INGREDIENTS:
Crust:
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Filling:
2 cans (15 ounces each) pumpkin
4 eggs
2 cups whipping cream
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
DIRECTIONS:
To make crust: In bowl, combine butter, cream cheese, flour and salt. Use fingers to mix ingredients until dough ball forms. Form into two flat rectangular disks about 1-inch thick and wrap with plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
On lightly floured surface, roll out each crust into 13-by-10-inch rectangle. Carefully place dough on each side of 12-by-17-inch pan and pinch together, smoothing out crust so it fits into all corners of pan. Trim edges to 1/2 inch of crust and tuck edges under. Crimp edges with fork.
Heat oven to 350° F.
To make filling: In large bowl, whisk to combine pumpkin, eggs, whipping cream, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, ginger and salt. Pour into crust.
Bake 35-45 minutes until filling is slightly jiggly but set. Let cool 3-4 hours before serving with some fresh homemade whipped cream on top
Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice Blend
Pumpkin pie spice has gone from an occasional ingredient used primarily in Thanksgiving pies to becoming the unofficial flavor of autumn. While you can buy the pre-made stuff from the grocery store, it’s super easy—and more cost-effective—to whisk up a batch of pumpkin pie spice at home.
INGREDIENTS:
3 tbsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
1 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
DIRECTIONS:
Whisk together cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, and cloves in a small bowl until well combined. Store in a small jar.
