Day 4: Pumpkin Pi with Walnut and Brown-Sugar Topping

A six year old at my church, told me the following joke:

Question: What's the ratio of a pumpkin's circumference to its diameter?
Answer: Pumpkin Pi

Let's forget about the joke for a minute, and wonder.... when you were six, were you using words likes circumference and diameter? Seriously? Or was I just THAT far behind everyone else?

Now as far as the joke goes.... I'm not sure it's the funniest one I've ever heard from this particular kids mouth... but it DOES make for a great lead into today's post!

Pumpkin "Pi" with Brown Sugar-Walnut Topping














What you'll need:

1 Deep "pi" crust (I don't judge... use a store bought one.)

For "pi":
1 Cup packed light brown sugar
2 Large eggs
1/2 Teaspoon salt (I used 1/4 Teas)
1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 Teaspoon ground cloves (I can't stand cloves, so I used 1/4 Teas Allspice)
(I also added 1/4 Teaspoon nutmeg)
1 Cup pureed pumpkin
1 Cup heavy whipping cream

Heat your oven to 350*. Prebake your frozen crust for about 15 minutes or until golden brown; I suggest putting it on a cookie sheet for easier handling down the road.

For your "pi" -- combine sugar, eggs, and all the spices on low with your hand mixer. Add the pumpkin and the whipping cream and beat on high for about a minute. Pour filling into crust. It will be FULL (hence, the need for the cookie sheet). The recipe says to bake for 30 minutes. That's a funnier joke than what the six year old told... I had that baking for about an hour and 35 minutes before I put the topping on it.

For the topping:

Combine 1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts, 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. When your "pi" has cooked long enough to be firm, sprinkle your topping evenly over the top. Return to the oven and reduce the temperature to 325*. Bake for another 15 minutes or until the "pi" is set and slightly puffed up in the center.

If at any point, your crust begins to burn, you can cover the edges with foil.

I didn't love this "pi." I'd probably give it a B, B- and my husband would probably give it a solid B. The pumpkin "pi" filling part, was delish! But I wasn't a fan of the brown sugar topping... too sweet (a gasp fills the room... never did they imagine that Trish would name something "too sweet"). I suspect the theory is, that the brown sugar melts into the "pi" (is that getting old yet? No?) like this:














See that dark area in the middle... that's yummy. The crunchy, grainy, brown sugar on top... not so much.

But alas, it did not keep me from eating my pi...