We’ve missed a lot over the past year – from births to birthdays, engagements, weddings and everything in between. But this Thanksgiving, we’re celebrating it all. Set the table with Nana’s fine china and that fancy gold cutlery you’ve never used and invite the whole family, friends that might as well be family and whoever else we can fit around the table.
When planning out your menu, wow guests by getting creative with twists on traditional items. Try mixing the potato mash with sweet potatoes for a marbled twist on a classic. When it comes to dessert, it doesn’t just have to be a choice of apple or pumpkin pie — you can have both.
“Pumple pie” combines the flavours of fall that we crave with a traditional pumpkin pie base topped with a delicious homemade apple pie filling and finished off with chopped pecans. Simply serve with a scoop of PC Black Label Madagascar bourbon vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream and enjoy.
Layered Pumpkin-Apple Pie
Prep time: 50 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8
Ingredients:
• 1 pre-baked homemade pie crust or pre-baked store-bought pie shell
• ½ cup toasted chopped pecans
Pumpkin layer:
• Half a brick of cream cheese (125 g), softened
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup canned pumpkin purée
• ¼ tsp pumpkin pie spice
Apple layer:
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• ½ cup water, divided
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 3 cups sliced baking apples
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp cornstarch (mixed with 3 tbsp water)
Directions:
1. For the pumpkin layer, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese and sugar until very smooth and fluffy.
2. Beat in pumpkin and pumpkin pie spice until smooth, scraping down sides of bowl occasionally. Scrape into prepared crust, smoothing top. Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.
3. For the apple layer, add 2 tbsp water, lemon juice and sugar to skillet over medium heat. Cook, without stirring but tilting and swirling pan occasionally, for 5 minutes or until sugar melts and turns deep amber.
4. Add in apples, cinnamon and remaining water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until apples are tender and liquid is syrupy, adding extra water if it’s cooking down too quickly before apples are tender; 10 minutes.
5. Stir in cornstarch slurry; bring to a boil, stirring constantly (sauce will thicken). Let cool.
6. Arrange apple mixture over pumpkin layer in prepared crust. Refrigerate for 1 hour or until set. Top edge of pie with toasted pecans. Serve with extra whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
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