Pumpkin Eggnog Pie With Crunchy Streusel

Do you take pumpkin pie for granted? Is it one of those things that has to appear on the Thanksgiving dessert table but you've lost your enthusiasm for it? I've got something to renew your faith in old standby.

One of my favorite cookbooks is The All American Dessert Book by Nancy Baggett. Lots of great old time favorites almost always with a twist. There are bits of history scattered throughout which I've found enhances my experience of making certain things.

For instance, pumpkin pie is linked to Thanksgiving celebrations as early on as the 1700's. By 1827, Sarah Joseph Hale, a noted nineteenth-century editor, novelist and cookbook author touted pumpkin pie as "the" Thanksgiving dish.

This is Nancy's recipe with a couple of my own twists.

Wherever it fits in your frame of reference this version combines two of my favorite holiday ingredients--pumpkin and eggnog. Add some crunchy bits baked in to the top and you've got a one of a kind, sure-to-awaken-the-pumpkin-pie-lover-in-you kind of pie.

While I'll make my own pie crust because I want a sturdy one you can buy pre-made. Be sure they are deep dish. If making your own use an All Purpose Pie Dough.

Once the crust is in the pan prick the bottom all over, place it in the freezer for 20 minutes to harden. I blind bake my shell for this though many recipes will not tell you to do this.

To Par Bake

Cover the crust with non-stick foil or parchment, cover with pie weights or beans and bake at 375 for 12 - 15 minutes A little color on the edges is not a problem.

And here's a secret

After you par bake the shell, just when it comes out of the oven, drop an egg white on the bottom and role it around the crust. Keep rotating the crust until the egg white has covered all the surface areas. Don't worry about the fluted edges. You do flute your edges don't you? This helps prevent the crust from getting soggy.

Preheat the oven to 375° F. Prepare filling.

Filling

4 large eggs
1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons packed, light brown sugar
2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice or 1 t. cinnamon + 1 ground nutmeg
1 t. freshly grated ginger or powdered
¼ t. salt
1 15 oz can of solid-pack pumpkin ***not pumpkin pie filling
½ cup of egg nog or half and half

1. In a large bowl whisk the eggs together to blend whites and yolks.
2. Add the sugar, pumpkin, spices, and salt and whisk until light but don't over mix.
3. Pour in the egg nog or half and half and give it one final whisking.
4. Pour this into the prepared pie shell, place the pie on a metal cookie sheet and place it in the lower third of the oven.
5. Bake for 35 - 40 minutes or until the edges look baked but the center is still jiggly.
6. Sprinkle the streusel over the jiggly parts, move the pie up to a higher rack, continue baking for about 20 - 25 minutes or until the streusel looks crunchy.
7. Remove from the oven, cool on a wire rack, let sit for at least an hour before you have to cut it.
8. Ms. Baggett would say put it in the fridge for 45 minutes for the filling to set but I prefer not to as the crust is never the same once it's been in the fridge.

Streusel

1 ¼ cups chopped walnuts or pecans
2/3 cup of finely crushed whole grain corn flakes-measured after crushing
6 Tablespoons packed light brown sugar
6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
6 Tablespoons melted butter

1. In a bowl mix together the first 4 ingredients. You can use your hands or two forks just be sure to distribute the sugar and flour evenly.
2. Pour in the melted butter and stir to mix well.

The streusel will be sprinkled on top of the jiggly part of the pie and the pie will then be put back in the oven. See pie directions above.

Serve with a bit of whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel syrup if you want to go really big.