CHRISTMAS IN MY KITCHEN
At Christmastime, while others are decorating their Christmas trees and stringing festive garlands, you’ll likely find me in my kitchen making Christmas cookies or some other holiday treat. My condo in New York City isn’t roomy enough to accommodate a tree (a showy poinsettia makes a nice substitute for us city dwellers). I have neither a mantle from which to hang Christmas stockings nor a chimney for Santa to climb down. What’s never in short supply in my home are the basic ingredients for baking: flour, sugar, butter, and eggs. This time of year, I stock up on seasonal ingredients as well: candied ginger, candied fruits, nuts, spices, and pumpkin both fresh and canned. I’ve been baking holiday treats for my family and friends every year since I was a kid when my sisters and I would spend entire days turning our mom’s kitchen into a Willie Wonka factory during the holidays. There’s no better gift, in my opinion than baked goods made with love.
I have a confession to make: Call me un-American but I’m not fond of traditional pumpkin pie. So when I discovered a variation on the theme that was as delicious and it was unusual, a new tradition was born in my home: pumpkin-chiffon pie. It’s lighter than custard pie, and because it’s chilled rather than baked, it makes a refreshing dessert after a heavy holiday meal. It’s also packed with flavor, with candied ginger on top to give it an extra zing. My daughter Mary loves it so much she bakes pumpkin-chiffon pies as gifts for her friends and clients every year during the holidays. If you’d like to try something a little different in the way of dessert for your holiday meals, why not give this one a try?
(Recipe below).
Here’s wishing you the happiest of holidays from my kitchen to yours!
PUMPKIN CHIFFON PIE
9-inch gingersnap crumb crust (see recipe below)
Filling:
1 envelope (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
¼ cup very hot water
3 large eggs
2/3 cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon each cinnamon, nutmeg, ground ginger
3 –4 tablespoons dark rum
1 ¼ cups canned pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
½ cup heavy cream
• Prepare gingersnap crumb crust and set in the refrigerator to chill while you prepare filling.
• Sprinkle gelatin over hot water in a small bowl and stir until thoroughly dissolved. Separate the eggs, placing the yolks in the top of a double boiler and the whites in a large bowl.
• Add 1/3 cup sugar to the yolks and whisk until the mixture is thick and light lemon-colored. Add salt, spices, rum, and dissolved gelatin. Whisk together, then set double boiler over (not touching) boiling water and stir constantly over medium heat until the mixture thickens so it generously coats a spoon.
• Remove from heat and stir in the pumpkin. Whisk to combine with the custard. Turn the mixture into a clean medium mixing bowl. Set in a large bowl of ice water. Whisk to cool the mixture (about 15 minutes) until it begins to set (it should be thick enough to mound on a spoon). Leave at room temperature in the bowl of ice water until it’s set.
• Beat the egg whites until fluffy and add the remaining 1/3 cup sugar a spoonful at a time, beating after each addition until stiff peaks form. Place the cream in a chilled bowl and beat until medium-stiff peaks form. Set aside dollop of whipped cream for the topping.
• Fold the cooled, thickened (but not hard-set) pumpkin mixture into the whipped cream, then into the stiffly beaten egg whites. Spoon the mixture into the prepared shell. Chill for at least 3 hours to set.
• Garnish pie with leftover whipped cream and slivered almonds. Chopped candied ginger is nice, too, if you have it.
Gingersnap crust:
1 ½ cups gingersnap crumbs
5 ½ tablespoons melted butter
In a bowl, pour melted butter over crumbs. Using fingers or the back of a spoon, press evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. Chill until set.
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