Sometimes there is a person in your life as a child who opens your eyes to the possibilities of a life lived with style and joie de vivre.  Hattie was just such a person for my husband Rick. “She had class oozing out of her marrow. Her being was effortless.” is the way he describes her. Hattie did things her own way. She was a family friend and as a teenager he worked for her doing yard-work and was rewarded with her homemade chocolate milkshakes which became his ideal. She is a legend that lives on past her years and we often drink to her memory when we are having a celebration. This is her recipe for pumpkin pie that my mum-in-law, Bobbie, has passed on to me. I added a bit of cloves and vanilla to it because I like that flavour and because I believe that’s what Hattie would do- add her own twist of style- so I think it honours her in that way.  Bobbie’s note on the recipe card reads: “This makes a dark pie because of the brown sugar. The Bourbon adds depth to the flavor. Good!”

Hattie’s Pumpkin Pie (with a bit of Gabi)

• one chilled unbaked pie shell, see last post
•  2 eggs, beaten
• dash of salt
• 1 heaping teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• generous 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1-1/2 cups pumpkin puree, canned is preferred
• 1 cup minus 2 Tablespoons heavy cream
• 2 Tablespoons good Bourbon
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup white granulated sugar
• My additions are: add 1/8 teaspoon of ground cloves and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Serve with softly whipped, vanilla flavoured and lightly sweetened whipped cream

Beat the eggs, spices, salt well and blend in the sugars. Mix in the pumpkin puree, cream, (vanilla)  and Bourbon. Pour into the unbaked pie shell and bake at 400F for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350F and bake for 45 minutes more or until set in the middle. 

Cool completely and serve with whipped cream if desired.  The pie will shrink a bit from the edges of the crust as it cools and inevitably it will crack in the middle. I like to make a little decoration to cover the crack such as the pumpkin and vines above. I baked the vines around a metal skewer to get the curl.

We had this pie as part of our second Thanksgiving meal with friends this year.                      I enjoy the tradition of including recipes from those who have touched our lives as part of our celebratory meals. It makes our lives richer and happier.  Hope you enjoy this pie if you make it and please, if you will- drink a toast to Hattie!

After a busy few weeks I’m ready to get back to posting and I have quite a few recipes stored up to share with you.

Let’s start with this one for some lovely, light and airy dinner rolls made a bit more nutritious with the addition of pumpkin. They add a nice bit of colour to the dinner offerings with a turkey or ham dinner and they make a wonderful base for a sandwich for afters.

Here is a tip when rolling crescent rolls or croissants: make a small relief cut at the thick end of the wedge and that way you can roll them nicely and they will keep their shape a bit better.

And whilst they are raising cover them LOOSELY with plastic film so that it doesn’t adhere to the rolls and pull them out of shape…

Pumpkin Crescent Rolls (makes 16-18 rolls)

• 3-3/4 to 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 ounce (1 package) active dry yeast
• 1 cup milk (whole or 2%)
• 2 ounces (1/2 stick- 1/8 lb) butter
• 3/4 cup pureed pumpkin, fresh roasted or canned
• 1 egg
• melted butter to brush

Combine one cup of the flour along with the sugar, salt and yeast. Whisk to blend. Melt the butter and add the milk to warm to about 120F to 130F or very warm to the touch. Add the warmed milk- butter mixture to the flour mixture along with the pumpkin puree and the egg. Blend at low speed to mix then increase speed to medium and beat for a couple of minutes.  Lower speed and then add enough of the remaining flour to make a soft, somewhat sticky dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic- a couple of minutes.

Butter a large bowl and add the dough, turning to coat the top, cover loosely with plastic wrap and a clean dish towel and let rise in a warm place, free of drafts for about an hour or until doubled in size. Punch down the dough and roll out on a lightly floured surface into a large round. Brush the round with melted butter. Cut with a pizza wheel or sharp knife into 16 to 18 wedges. Make a relief cut at the thick end and roll from the thick end to the thin end to make a crescent shape. Curve the outer ends in a bit to complete the crescent shape.  Place at least 2″ apart on a parchment lined baking sheet and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Leave in a warm place to rise for  about 40 minutes or until light and doubled in size. Preheat oven during last 20 minutes to 375F. Uncover dough and bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to racks to cool. Brush with melted butter. Serve warm or room temperature.

Have a wonderful day!

xo