I'm a terrible sleeper. I tend to wake up in the middle of the night and lie there for hours trying to will myself back to sleep. Sometimes it works and other times I mull over new recipes to distract myself from the seconds ticking away. The night before Thanksgiving I pondered the pumpkin pie. I worked out a filling for two pies, because as long as you're making one you might as well make two. And because I was pretty sure that one wouldn't be enough (I was right). My filling contained creme fraiche and mascarpone for an element of decadence and a luscious, creamy mouth-feel. I then considered the spices that have become so ubiquitous that they are even sold pre-blended as pumpkin pie spice. Does pumpkin need to be married to cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves to be complete? Not in my book. So I simply eliminated them in order to let the pumpkin stand alone in the spotlight. So, here it is, an incredibly rich, spice-less filling, enough to fill two of your favorite pie shells. By the way, Alex likes a softer crust with this filling so I don't blind bake his, but feel free to do whatever suits your particular fancies before filling your crust.
Pumpkin Pie Filling (2 Pies)
4 cups of roasted, pureed pumpkin or 2 15-ounce cans of organic pumpkin
16 ounces mascarpone cheese
8 ounces crème fraiche
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons Mt. Gay Rum
6 eggs, lightly beaten
2 prepared pie shells, blind baked or raw
Preheat oven to 350°F
Combine the pumpkin, mascarpone and crème fraiche in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth and well blended. Remove from the blender or processor and place in a large bowl or pitcher. Whisk together the sugars, salt, eggs and rum. Stir the egg mixture into the pumpkin until thoroughly blended. Pour the filling evenly into the two pie crusts and bake for 55-70 minutes until the center is firm and wobbly like Jello. Let cool at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.
