Bourbon Pumpkin Pie

Name: Bourbon Pumpkin Pie
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 Pastry dough; 1 can pure pumpkin; 1 cup heavy cream; 0.33 cup sour cream; 2 large eggs; 0.75 cup sugar; 3.5 tbsp bourbon; 1 tsp ground cinnamon; 0.75 tsp ground ginger; 0.25 tsp ground allspice; 0.25 tsp salt; 1 lightly sweetened whipped cream; 1 A 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate ; pie weights or dried beans

From the kitchen of Carly

Spiced pumpkin filling spiked with bourbon gets creamy with heavy cream and sour cream, then nestled into a flaky homemade crust. The warm cinnamon, ginger, and allspice make this autumn pie taste like the best version of itself.

Bourbon spiked pumpkin pie with sour cream in the custard, which keeps it silky instead of dense. The spice ratio leans ginger forward, so it tastes sharp and grown-up against the caramel notes from the bourbon. Worth blind baking the crust because a soggy bottom ruins everything.

Prep: n/a
Cook: n/a
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Servings: 4
Difficulty: medium

Ingredients

4 servings

1Pastry dough
1 canpure pumpkin
1 cupheavy cream
1/3 cupsour cream
2 largeeggs
3/4 cupsugar
3 1/2 tbspbourbon
1 tspground cinnamon
3/4 tspground ginger
1/4 tspground allspice
1/4 tspsalt
1lightly sweetened whipped cream
1A 9 1/2-inch deep-dish pie plate ; pie weights or dried beans

Instructions

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 12-inch round, then fit it into the pie plate. Trim the edge so you have a 1/2-inch overhang, fold that overhang under itself, press it lightly against the rim, and crimp decoratively. Prick the bottom all over with a fork, then chill the shell until firm, at least 30 minutes (or 10 minutes in the freezer).
Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F.
Lay foil over the chilled shell and fill it with pie weights or dried beans. Bake until the side is set and the edge turns golden, about 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the foil and weights, then return the shell to the oven for another 10 to 15 minutes, until golden all over. Let it cool completely before filling.
In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, heavy cream, sour cream, eggs, sugar, bourbon, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and salt until smooth, then pour the mixture into the cooled shell.
Bake until the edge of the filling is set but the center still trembles slightly, about 45 minutes. The filling will firm up as it cools, so pull it when it still has a little wobble. Cool completely before slicing.

Tips from the kitchen

Prick that crust all over before blind baking, not just a few holes. Even gaps let steam escape and prevent sogginess.
Watch for the tremor in the center when baking the filled pie. It should jiggle like soft custard, not look completely set. It keeps cooking as it cools and firms up perfectly.
Sour cream is the secret here. It cuts the sweetness and adds tang that makes this feel less Thanksgiving-dinner heavy and more like something you'd actually want to eat in November.

Variations

Skip the bourbon in the filling and add it only to the whipped cream for a cleaner pumpkin flavor.
Swap half the heavy cream for Greek yogurt for a tangier, lighter custard.
Use fresh roasted pumpkin puree instead of canned. It's drier, so the pie sets faster and tastes less muted.
Toast whole spices (cinnamon stick, ginger, allspice berries) in the oven, grind them fresh, and use a touch more. The flavor jumps.

Make ahead and storage

Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days. Do not freeze. Reheat slices gently at 300°F for 10 minutes if serving warm.