Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

This post isn't really about my pumpkin pie (although I'll share the details with you anyway, because it is transcendent).

This is about you. Your family. Your traditions. Your kitchen. And yes, your Thanksgiving pie.

Growing up, we always had apple and pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, even if I didn't acquire a taste for pumpkin until much later. My aunt Gail would always make lemon meringue for my uncle too. My mother still makes her own apple and pumpkin pies, but always with prepackaged pie dough. My dear mother-in-law unapologetically purchases ready-made pies from the grocery store, serving slices out of the clamshell with a hefty dollop of Cool Whip. But be assured that Cool Whip dollop is done with love.

If your family is anything like mine, there are few meals as steeped in tradition as Thanksgiving dinner, and few foods with as much nostalgia as pie. Perhaps that is why anyone with the slightest bit of domesticity in them gets a little worked up on the topic of pie crusts.

Knowing I'm a from-scratch kind of gal, I've had friends and acquaintances unload their guilty conscience on me by admitting, *gulp*, that they buy premade pie crusts. They almost shirk, as if preparing for me to slap some sense into them. And my response? It's fine. Really. It's ok. Obviously, store-bought pie crusts never taste quite as good as the real deal, and certainly we all know preservatives and fake fats aren't doing us any good - but I don't say that part. If making your own crust is going to be the deal-breaker that prevents you from baking up a pie, then seriously, just do it and don't mope about it. Life is too short for guilt. Especially pie guilt.

But.

(you knew that was coming, right?)

But...I hope, if only once a year, you make your own pie crust, because if you are going to eat pie, eat PIE, real crust and all. Pick your most special pie of the year. Perhaps it is for the October pie that you make every year after you pick the backyard apples. Maybe it's in early July, when you've harvested (and pitted!) all those sour cherries before the robins got to them. Or in January, when you are craving something bright and citrusy and lemon meringue sounds like winter's cure. Or maybe, just maybe, the most special pie of your year graces your Thanksgiving table.

Whenever it is, once a year, make a pie crust from scratch. And then make the pie filling. And then do whatever you want to do to make it pretty, to make it yours, whether it is a decorative edge or a lattice crust top or lemon zest curls atop homemade whipped cream. Do it all slowly, with care, with love. Clear your afternoon and find the moment of joy that comes with putting your energy into something true, something real, something you can share and delight in. Let it be messy. Let it be imperfect. Let it be a reflection of you, in this place, at this time.

Just do it because you can. Then next month, if the feeling moves you, stock up on supermarket pie crusts.

Ready to make your own pie crust? Check out my tutorial here. 

Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie
I almost never post fussy recipes like this, but I couldn't resist. The texture of the pumpkin custard in this pie is so smooth, with a lighter texture than most pumpkin pies thanks to the beaten egg whites, and a subtle tang with the sour cream base. And hey, if you are making a pie crust anyway, you may as well go all out. Adapted from the big green Gourmet Today cookbook.

Your favorite homemade pie crust
1 c. sour cream
1 15-oz. can pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling - look for only "pumpkin" on the ingredient list)
3 eggs, separated
1 c. packed brown sugar
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. salt

Roll out pie crust dough and fit onto pie plate. Trim edges and get on with your bad decorative self with the edges. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 mins (or do what I do and set it outside on the back step).

Lightly prick chilled shell all over with a fork. Line shell with tin foil, including the edges, and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until edges are pale golden, about 20 mins. Remove foil and weights and bake until entire shell is pale golden, about 10 more mins.  Cool shell completely on a rack, 30 mins.

To make the filling, heat sour cream in a large metal bowl set over a large wide pot of boiling water (this helps prevent curdling) until warm, stirring occasionally. In a separate bowl, whisk together pumpkin, egg yolks, sugar, spices and salt until combined. Whisk into hot sour cream and cook over simmering water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until custard is thickened and registers 170 degrees F on a thermometer, about 8 mins.

Remove bowl from post and cool pumpkin mixture in bowl set in the sink with some cold water in the bottom of the sink. Stir occasionally and let it cool down.

Beat egg whites in electric mixer on high until they just hold stiff peaks. Fold in a third of the whites into pumpkin mixture, then fold in the rest, folding gently until mixed thoroughly. Pour filling into cooled shell, smoothing top. Protect edges again with foil. Bake until filling is set and puffed around edges, about 45 mins, removing foil during last 10-15 mins of baking if crisper edges are desired. Cool pie on a rack.