A "Lighter" Pumpkin Pie

So I received a request from my friend Jill P. for a pumpkin pie that is "lighter" than the traditionally dense custard version many of us make or buy in the store. Now by lighter I don't mean lower in fat, calories or flavor but in texture. You shouldn't feel like there's a brick in your stomach after eating it - unless of course it has followed a seven course Thanksgiving meal!

My original online recipe search turned up recipes from Paula Deen, Libby's (r) brand, and the top rated recipe on allrecipes.com. However, upon reading the recipes I eliminated the Paula Deen version based on the fact that it includes butter and cream cheese (I don't think anything Paula makes can ever be considered "light") and the allrecipes.com version because it includes something called "custard mix" and also sweetened condensed milk both of which I'm sure make a denser pie.

To find my final recipes I turned to my favorite King Arthur Flour Baking Sheets and of course my Joy of Cooking cookbook. In order to eliminate the crust variable from these experiments (because we already know which crust is the best!) I used a Pillsbury refrigerated pie crust for the tests, and then the final pie was baked with my beloved butter crust.

The first pie I tested was the King Arthur version which included three eggs instead of the standard 2 eggs for a 9inch pie. I assumed adding a bit more egg would soften the heaviness of the pumpkin pie filling. I also liked the mix of spices and the interesting addition of black pepper to this recipe. This pie came out lighter than a regular pie and I really enjoyed the flavor. However, I thought maybe I could lighten it a bit further. Before I changed the recipe, I tried the Joy of Cooking and Libby's pies.

The Joy of Cooking version came out very well and the recipe gives the option of using 2 or 3 eggs, depending on how "custardy" you want the final pie to be. I used three and the texture was similar to that of the King Arthur pie, but the King Arthur flavor was superior. The Libby's recipe came out denser than the prior two and also did not have as much flavor as the King Arthur version.

So, to improve upon the King Arthur recipe I decided to separate the eggs and only add one yolk and three whites. I also whipped the whites until they were very foamy. After baking this pie it looked very much like a souffle! AND it had the texture of one:) Too light for a pie I think. So I tried once again and separated three eggs but this time added two yolks, all three whites, and just whisked the whites until foamy. The final result - just what I was looking for!

For flavor I made a few additional adjustments to the recipe - blind-baked the crust, substituted brown sugar for half of the white, added Bourbon, and reduced the ginger a bit. These changes are noted in the recipe below.

So there you have it. A "Light" Pumpkin pie - just in time for Thanksgiving!

Sweet & "Light" Pumpkin Pie (adapted from King Arthur Flour's Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed light brown sugar

1 tbls all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

1/8 tsp ground cloves

pinch freshly ground black pepper

3 large eggs, separated

15 oz can pumpkin (or 1 1/2 cups fresh mashed)

2 tsp bourbon

1 cup undiluted evaporated milk OR light cream

Prepared 9-inch pie crust dough OR 9-inch refrigerated pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 400F. Roll out pie dough and line pie plate. Vent the crust by poking with the tines of a fork. Line the crust with foil and fill with pie beads or dry beans to weigh down the bottom of the pastry. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the foil and beads and continue baking for 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and reduce heat to 375F.

2. Mix together sugars, flour, salt, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and cloves in a medium bowl.

3. Add egg whites to a large bowl and whisk for 60 seconds or until foamy. Add 2 of the egg yolks (discard or save the third for another use) and whisk into the yolks for another 60 seconds. Add the pumpkin, evaporated milk and bourbon and whisk until smooth.

4. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and whisk until smooth.

5. Pour filling into pie shell and bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted 2 inches from the side comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.

Pie can be stored in the refrigerator for one day before serving.