Willy Wonka Pumpkin Pie

Why Willy Wonka pumpkin pie? Well, because while Mile High Pumpkin Pie is probably a snappier-sounding choice, it's also something that a marketer would come up with. (And my tolerance for marketing copy is quite low at the moment.)
Plus, when I was whipping up the meringue for this pie, all I could picture is the scene from Willy Wonka (the original one) in which Mike TV's mom scoops white cream out of a ginormous red mushroom.


This pie came about thanks to the following:
1. Horrifying, canyon-like cracks in a pumpkin pie that really needed to look as good as it tasted (it was for a party).
2. A browse through the November issue of Martha Stewart Living.

As soon as I'd finished baking the pumpkin pie, I realized it was doomed to be the dessert equivalent of a kid that gets picked last for dodge ball. I had to find a way to cover up the cracks that stretched from end to end. (I had made the pie from a special recipe, so there was no way that I was going to be ok with it getting shelved until party goers were only coming back for seconds.) Maybe craft a grapevine out of pie dough and drape it sinuously over the cracks? No, too obvious. Plus, my pie dough sculpting skills leave a lot to be desired.

Unlike with cakes, there isn't much you can do when a pumpkin pie cracks, particularly if the cracks seem to have a goal of spanning the full diameter of the once-smooth top. Then I remembered: Didn't the November issue of Living feature some crazy meringue pumpkin pie? Something that looked like it would grace the table at Willy Wonka's Thanksgiving celebration? (Ok, so he was British in the original movie and likely didn't celebrate Thanksgiving, but let's just assume for the sake of this story that he's more of an international figure.)

Long story longer: The meringue topping turned my ugly duckling pie into something that ended up being at least a conversation piece at the party. The kids were freaking out, and the adults were like, "Geez, how many egg whites were harmed in the making of that pie?"

One more thing: While the visual focus obviously is the meringue, this is one incredibly good pumpkin pie, cracked top aside. It doesn't usually crack, too - this was the first time - so I highly recommend this pie for your upcoming Thanksgiving celebrations, with or without the meringue topping.

Pie Dough(Note: Makes enough for 2 pumpkin pies)

2 c. flour
1/2 t. salt
12 T. (1 1/2 sticks) butter, chilled
3 T. margarine or chilled vegetable shortening
1/4 c. ice water

In a large bowl, sift the flour and salt. Cut the chilled butter and margarine/shortening into 1 T. bits and add to the flour. With a pastry cutter, work flour and shortening together until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water little by little, pressing the pastry together into a ball. Flatten into a 4-inch disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
Chill for at least 1 hour (Seriously. Do it. The secret to light, flaky pastry is to keep the mixture cool, add as little water as possible, and mix only as much as necessary.)
Remove from refrigerator; let stand at room temperature to soften slightly, about 10 minutes, or until dough is pliable. Roll out dough on lightly floured work surface to a 12-inch disk about 1/8-inch thick. Fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of pie pan. Unfold dough.
Press dough into pan, trim edge, and flute or otherwise decorate edges. Refrigerate pie shell for 40 minutes and then freeze for 20 minutes (sometimes I skip the freezing step and it still turns out fine).

Pumpkin Pie (makes enough for one pie)
2 c. (16 oz.) plain canned pumpkin puree
1 c. packed dark brown sugar
2 t. ground ginger
2 t. ground cinnamon
1 t. fresh grated nutmeg
1/4 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. salt
2/3 c. heavy cream
2/3 c. milk
4 large eggs

Adjust oven rack to lower and middle positions and heat oven to 375. Press doubled 12-inch square of aluminum foil inside dough shell; evenly distribute 1 c. ceramic or metal pie weights over foil. Partially bake pie shell on a middle rack until dough dries out, about 17 minutes.
Carefully remove foil and weights.
Meanwhile, process pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, and salt in a food processor fitted with steel blade for 1 minute. Transfer pumpkin mixture to a 3-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan; bring it to a sputtering simmer over medium-high heat. Cook pumpkin, stirring constantly, until thick and shiny, about 5 minutes.
As soon as pie shell comes out of oven, increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. Whisk heavy cream and milk into pumpkin and bring to a bare simmer. Process eggs in food processor until whites and yolks are mixed, about 5 seconds. With motor running, slowly pour about half of hot pumpkin mixture through feed tube. Stop machine and scrape in remaining pumpkin. Process 30 seconds longer.
Immediately pour warm filling into hot pie shell. (Ladle any excess filling into pie after it has baked for 5 minutes or so--by this time filling will have settled.) Bake pie on lower rack until filling is puffed, dry-looking, and lightly cracked (but not sooo cracked, ugh!) edges, and center wiggles like Jello when pie is gently shaken, about 25 minutes. Cool on wire rack for at least 1 hour.

Meringue Topping
2 c. granulated sugar
8 large egg whites, room temperature

Just before serving the pie, make the meringue. Combine sugar and egg whites in the heatproof bowl of a mixer set over a pan of simmering water (alternatively: use a double boiler and then transfer the egg/sugar mixture to the mixer bowl later). Whisk until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
Transfer bowl to mixer, and whisk on medium speed for 3 minutes. Raise speed to high, and whisk until stiff glossy peaks form, about 6 minutes more.
Dollop meringue onto pie and spread using a swirling motion, creating peaks and valleys in the meringue.
Hold a small handheld kitchen torch at a 90-degree angle 3 to 4 inches from the surface of meringue.
Move flame back and forth until meringue starts to brown.
If you don't have a kitchen torch, just heat your oven's broiler and bake pie on top rack until meringue starts to brown - 2 to 4 minutes (watch it carefully).