Hurrah! For The Pumpkin Pie

Author: Tina Adkins Wang, Alpine, winner of The Lion House pie contest
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Ingredients

Crust:
1 cup shortening
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cups flour
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon white vinegar
6 tablespoons ice water

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, cut shortening into salt and flour until coarse. Mix egg, vinegar and ice water in a small bowl. Pour into the flour mixture and mix to make a dough. With your hands, form a flattened ball. Roll out dough between sheets of plastic wrap and ease into a 10-inch pie plate. Crimp the edges. Brush entire crust with a beaten egg.

First layer:
2/3 cup milk-chocolate chips
1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
3/4 cup coarsely chopped macadamia nuts
2 tablespoons margarine
3/4 teaspoon vanilla

Place milk-chocolate chips in a small bowl and set aside. In a heavy saucepan, cook sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk, margarine and vanilla over medium heat to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil and continuously stir 6 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour 1/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon caramel mixture over the milk-chocolate chips. Stir until smooth. Spread into bottom of crust and pat down with back of spoon. Stir the macadamia nuts into the remaining caramel. Allow to cool a little. Spread over the chocolate.

Second layer:
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg, beaten

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Beat in sugar. Add vanilla and egg, and beat until light and smooth. Chill 20 minutes while making third layer and topping. When chilled, spread over first layer.

Third layer:
1 15-ounce can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups melted vanilla ice cream
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Pour over second layer. Bake 15 minutes at 450 degrees. Reduce heat to 350 degrees; bake 50 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.

Topping:
1/2 cup chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
1 8-ounce package cream cheese
1 cup sugar

In a mixing bowl, beat whipping cream and powdered sugar until stiff. Set aside. In another bowl, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Fold into whipped cream. With a cookie dough scoop, place dollops of topping around edge of pie.

Drizzle:
1/3 cup milk-chocolate chips
1 tablespoon margarine
1/4 to 1/3 cup crushed macadamia nuts, as desired


Directions

Melt milk-chocolate chips and margarine in a custard cup for 40 seconds in microwave. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly. Transfer into a zippered sandwich bag and cut a tiny hole in a corner. Drizzle chocolate over pie and topping. Sprinkle crushed macadamia nuts over the topping.