Crustless Pumpkin Pie With Streusel Topping Recipe | ZagLeft (2024)

FAQs

What makes pumpkin pie filling pull away from the crust? ›

A pumpkin pie that bakes in the wrong oven rack position—in this case, too close to the oven's top heating element—can result in its filling developing a skin that cracks as it bakes. It also causes the filling to settle while cooling, making it pull away from the crust.

A: Jim Dodge renowned pastry chef, cookbook author and senior vice president of New England Culinary Institute in Vermont says an egg wash technique can help prevent the filling from separating from the crust but he says the problem can usually be prevented in the first place by not overbaking the pie.

Turn the Oven High to Low

Most pumpkin pie recipes call for a high oven temperature to expedite cooking time. But as we've learned, baking any custard at high heat has its dangers. Once the temperature of custard rises above 185°F it curdles, turning the filling coarse and grainy.

For this Pumpkin Pie recipe, you can just purchase a ready-made pastry crust from your grocer's freezer. Do not defrost the pie crust. We are going to make the pumpkin filling and pour it right into the frozen crust. The pumpkins shown above are part of my centerpiece arrangement.

With docking, the holes allow steam to escape, so the crust should stay flat against the baking dish when it isn't held down by pie weights or a filling. Otherwise the crust can puff up, not only impacting appearance but also leaving you with less space for whatever filling you have planned.

While not traditional or really necessary due to the time pumpkin custard takes to cook, you can avoid a 'soggy' bottomed pumpkin pie, by laying down some parchment paper in the shell, fill it with pie weights or old beans, wrapping the edges with foil then par baking the crust for 10-15 minutes at 425ºF.

If you are making a pie where the filling bakes with the crust, like a fruit pie, then no, do not poke holes, as the liquid filling will leak and you won't get a properly baked crust. How do you crimp your pie crust after blind baking the bottom crust? The raw top crust just would not meld to the baked edges.

But the one surefire way to make certain your pie's crust will be golden brown, crisp, and delicious — just as appealing as its filling — is to prebake it. That's right: bake the bottom crust first, before adding the filling.

For better pumpkin pie, refrigerate the filling overnight

To that end, we've found that refrigerating pumpkin pie filling overnight before using it not only enhances the spices' flavors, but also mellows them. Any “sharp edges” disappear, and you're left with a smooth meld of complementary flavors.

How do you keep pie filling from soaking into crust? ›

Crust dust is a 1:1 mixture of flour and granulated sugar. When baking a pie, especially a fruit pie, a couple of teaspoons of crust dust sprinkled into the bottom of the crust will help prevent the crust from becoming saturated with juicy filling as it bakes.

If you need a fully baked pie crust, bake until the bottom crust is golden brown, about 14–15 minutes longer. For a partially baked pie crust (if you're baking the pie once it is filled, like a quiche), bake until the bottom crust is just beginning to brown, about 7–8 minutes.

Pies with too much evaporated milk formed blisters on top.

Though the interior of the filling had a great, creamy texture. The flavor was ever-so-slightly muted and had a hint of milkiness to it.

Note that if your test determines an undercooked pumpkin pie, return it to the oven and bake a few minutes longer before testing it again.

If the center of the pie registers below 175°F, then stick it back into the oven and check on it every 5-10 minutes until baked through. If the custard in the center isn't done yet but the crust is starting to get crispy, you can protect it using a pie shield while it finishes baking.

Prick the crust all over with a fork, like you would shortbread; or cut some slashes or crosses. Make a lattice, if you like. But whatever you do, don't bake your fruit pie with a solid, sealed-down top crust: you're just asking for the that "gap in pie" result.

While a wobbly, runny pie is a telltale sign that a pumpkin pie is undercooked, an overcooked pumpkin pie is a bit harder to spot. When you've overcooked a pumpkin pie, you may see: The filling separating from the crust. The filling has visible cracks.