Brandied Pumpkin and Chestnut Pie

By MarielC

Ingredients

• 1 small sugar pumpkin or medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), peeled, seeded and cut into 2-inch chunks
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/4 cups heavy cream
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons good brandy, such as Cognac
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch ground cloves
• 3/4 cup sweetened chestnut paste (such as crème de marrons)
• 1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust (see recipe)

Details

Servings 9
Cooking time 135mins
Adapted from nytimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a bowl, toss pumpkin with butter and granulated sugar. Arrange on a baking sheet. Roast, tossing occasionally, until caramelized and very soft, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool (this can be done up to 5 days ahead).

2. Reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees. Purée pumpkin in a food processor or blender. In a bowl, combine 1 cup purée with 1 cup cream. Save any leftover purée for another use: it freezes well. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, brandy, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves. Stir in pumpkin mixture.

3. In a separate bowl, combine chestnut paste with remaining 1/4 cup cream. Spread chestnut mixture in pie crust. Top with pumpkin filling.

4. Transfer pie to a rimmed baking sheet and bake until pie is firm to the touch but jiggles slightly when moved, about 1 hour. Let cool to room temperature before slicing.