Friday, July 28, 2017
pumpkin meringue pie for friendsgiving!
pumpkin meringue pie for friendsgiving!
Hi friends! Happy (almost) Thanksgiving!
Neither Erlend nor myself come from very traditional families, so we usually just spend Thanksgiving with each other and a small, quiet celebration. For the last few years, we've been roasting duck instead of turkey and doing Asian-style sides. Some people are weirded out by it, but it's our jam. Because here's a little secret: I kinda, sorta, am not really that into turkey. Or stuffing. Or cranberry sauce. Or Thanksgiving foods in general.
I know, I know. I'm the worst. But I don't know, the traditional Thanksgiving flavor combinations and ingredients just seem like they need some updating, ya know? Why have soggy brussels sprouts when you could have them momofuku style? Or a dry, overly large turkey when you can have a succulent, beer-roasted duck instead?
But alas, this year, we're breaking our little not-so-traditional tradition and doing something much more normal: eating turkey with Erlend's parents in the Upper West Side. And of course, I've been made in charge of the dessert. And instead of the cheesecakes, egg tarts, and matcha pies that I've often baked in place of all the traditional Thanksgiving desserts, I'm going somewhat old school with this pumpkin pie:
Okay, okay. With its speculoos crust and meringue topping, it's not the most traditional pumpkin pie. And this'll actually the second time in the last few months that I've made this pie. Because last month, I'd staged and styled a Friendsgiving photoshoot with some of my friends for Crate and Barrel (in the middle of October!). While I'm happy to spend time with Erlend and his incredibly sweet family, a part of me is a little disappointed that he and I are not doing the scrappy and somewhat rebellious dinner that we usually do. But luckily this (insanely) early Friendsgiving gave me the opportunity to get all that funkiness out of my system:
Because for Friendsgiving, I've traded traditional green bean casserole for a Middle Eastern green bean salad complete with caramelized onions, labneh, and za'atar. I've added brown butter and orange zest to my sweet potato mashed potatoes, and thrown roasted corn, bacon, and leeks into my cornbread stuffing. It's Thanksgiving alright, but with a much-needed millennial update. Oh god, is that the most obnoxious thing I've ever said? I'm sorry, I'm sorry.
Anyway, be sure to check out Crate and Barrel's blog to read more about my October Friendsgiving! I've got a cute little story about how each of the recipes were inspired by some of my oldest and newest friends, as well as a handful of tasty and vegetable focused sides like green beans with caramelized onions, labneh, and za'atar, cornbread stuffing with roasted corn, leeks, and bacon, and brown butter and orange zest mashed sweet potatoes. And of course, this pumpkin meringue pie, but you can also get the recipe down below.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Some baker's notes:
- The crust is made from speculoos, a type of gingerbread cookie that's Dutch in origin. You can now find it in Trader Joe's or in regular supermarkets where it's sold as Biscoff. In a pinch, you can use ginger snap cookies or graham crackers, but I really recommend using speculoos as it adds a unique spice to the pie that's hard to emulate. If I had to guess, the flavor is some kind of combination of cinnamon, ginger, cloves, cardamom, nutmeg, and pepper.
- It's best to make the meringue right before serving; it stays soft, shiny, and silky that way, which contrasts wonderfully when torched and toasted. In a few hours, it will harden, but that's not necessarily a bad thing if you're into a harder meringue.
Available link for download
