I have to admit that I’ve never been a huge pumpkin pie lover. It’s a little dense for me but switching things up and making pumpkin mousse instead gives me a whole new view on it. This flaky pie crust is paired with airy flavorful pumpkin mousse and whipped cream for a luxurious dreamy version of this holiday classic.

Makes one 9-inch pie

Prep Time: 1 Hour

Bake Time: 25 Minutes

Chill Time: 4 Hours

Total Time: 6 Hours

Ingredients:

For the crust:

1 ½ Cups (180g) All Purpose flour

½ Cup (113g) Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes

Pinch of Salt

6-7 Tbs (90-100mL) Ice Water

For the filling:

1 Packet Unflavored Gelatin

¼ Cup (60mL) Water

2/3 Cup (160mL) Cold Heavy Cream

3/4 Cup (185g) Pumpkin

¼ Tsp (1g) Salt

1 Tsp (4g) Orange Zest
1 ¼ Tsp (5g) Cinnamon

1 Tsp (4g) Ginger

¾ Tsp (3g) Nutmeg

½ Tsp (2g) Cloves

2 Tsp (8g) Vanilla Extract

½ Cup (110g) Light Brown Sugar, Packed

For the whipped cream:

½ Cup (120mL) Cold Heavy Cream

1 Tbs (13g) Granulated Sugar

1 Tsp (4g) Vanilla Extract

Directions:

1.     Start with the crust. In a food processor or a large bowl, add the flour, salt, and cold butter. Pulse until the butter is broken up into various sized pieces. If you don’t have a food processor, you can use your hands and pinch the butter into the flour, just be careful to work quickly and lightly so you don’t soften the butter.

2.     Add 6 Tbs of ice water to the mix, and pulse until the dough comes together, it’ll take a minute. Only add more water by the tablespoon if the dough doesn’t come together after a minute of mixing.

3.     Collect the dough into a disk, cover tightly with plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.

4.     Preheat your oven to 375 F (190C). Lightly flour a surface and roll the dough out until it’s a 12-inch disk about ¼ inch thick.

5.     Roll the dough over a 9-inch pie dish, and let the dough fall naturally into the dish, don’t stretch it. Once the dough is pressed evenly into the dish, leave about ½ inch border of dough hanging over the edge around the dish and cut the rest off.

6.     Fold the excess ½ inch of dough over in towards the center of the dish to where it meets the edge of the dish itself and press to seal. Now you can crimp the dough if you want or just leave it as is.

7.     Freeze the dish for 5 minutes, then line it with foil and fill with dry beans or pie weights. Make sure you fill it all the way to the top, pressing the beans all the way up the edges of the crust so it doesn’t sag.

8.     Bake for 20 Minutes, then gently remove the beans and foil and bake for another 10 minutes or until light golden brown and baked through. Allow to cool completely.

9.     To make the filling, combine the gelatin and water and let the gelatin bloom for about 5-8 minutes.

10.  Whip the cream until you get stiff peaks, then cover with plastic and keep in the fridge until needed later.

11.  In a large bowl, add the pumpkin, salt, spices, orange zest, vanilla, and brown sugar and whisk until smooth.

12.  Once the gelatin is bloomed, microwave it for 5-8 seconds, until liquid again, then whisk into the pumpkin mixture.

13.  Fold the whipped cream from earlier into the mixture until smooth and light, then pour the filling into the cooled crust, smoothing out the top. Cover with plastic and chill for a minimum of 4 hours.

14.  To make the whipped cream for the top, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks form, and you can either pipe or spread it on top of the chilled pie.

-If making in advanced add the whipped cream just before serving.

-Keep covered with plastic wrap in the fridge for up to 3 days.