NOT JUST PUMPKIN PIE

via four pounds flour

I think we can all agree that Thanksgiving wouldn't quite be Thanksgiving without Pumpkin Pie. And I think for the most part we can also agree the pumpkin pies we typically enjoy are subtle variations of the same recipe. I propose this holiday we try something different. 

At a recent Masters of Social Gastronomy event starring no other than the All-American Pie, food historian Sarah Lohman mentioned an intriguing pumpkin and apple pie recipe that peaked my interest. She kindly shared it with us on her website Four Pounds Flour, and I'm passing it on to you. 

One of the earliest recipes for pumpkin pie comes from a Boston manuscript titled, Mrs. Gardiner's Receipts, 1763, a collection of handwritten recipes. This particular recipe called for alternating layers of thinly sliced pumpkin and apple, sprinkled with sugar. Here's the original recipe: 

“Pare a Pumpkin, and take the seedy part of it out; then cut it in slices; Pare and core a quarter of an hundred apples, and cut them in slices. Make some good paste with an Egg, and lay some all around the brim of the Dish; lay half of a pound of good, clean Sugar over the bottom of your dish, over that a Layer of apples; then a Layer of Pumpkin, and again &c until the pie is full, observing to put Sugar between every two Layers, and all the remaining Sugar on the Top. Bake it half an hour, and before you send it to the Table, cut it open and put in some good fresh butter.”

Like me, you too might find this recipe a little too pared down and difficult to follow. Luckily for us, Sarah broke it down into a recipe form we're more familiar with. 

Mrs. Gardiner’s Apple and Pumpkin Pie

Gardiner’s recipe is great for a deep-dish pie, but I’ve halved the quantities for the shallower red and white enamelware tin pie pan I have in my culinary collection. Pie pumpkins are smaller, sweet pumpkins that are usually labeled as such.

1 pie pumpkin, skinned, seeded, and thinly sliced
12 small or 6 medium baking apples, pared, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups lightly packed brown sugar
Pie dough, rolled out into two crusts
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

Mrs. Gardiner's Apple and Pumpkin Pie doesn't call for seasoning but here are some of Sarah's suggestions if you prefer your pies with a little more kick in flavoring.

Seasonings, to taste:
2 teaspoons mixed baking spices, such as cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.
1 tablespoon rosewater
¼ cup white wine

Preheat oven to 375º Fahrenheit. Line a pie plate with the bottom crust, and sprinkle with ½ cup of sugar. Lay apples on top, then a layer of pumpkin slices, and sprinkle with another ½ cup of sugar. Continue until pie plate is full, then top with butter and your choice of seasonings. Add the top crust, sealing the edges, and cut steam vents in top. Bake about an hour, until browned and juices bubble through the vents. Let cool overnight.