The Lush Chef

Earlier this week, I attended a pie-making class at SoHo House in West Hollywood (no, I'm not a member...sigh) with a friend.  Not only did their delightful pastry chef lead us through a class on how to make a pumpkin pie, but they also served a small group of us Grey Goose Pumpkin Pie Martinis.  Brand Ambassador Ron Patric shook up some tasty libations that smacked of autumn. It was like dessert in a glass and could easily get one quite tipsy if you weren't too careful.


SoHo House's pastry chef mixed up the pumpkin pie purée while we sipped our cocktails.  She exclaimed there would be no healthy substitutions in this recipe.  If you're going to have pie, then you have to go all the way, which means eggs, heavy cream, sugar...and some brandy.  The crust she used was a Speculoos crust, which I unfortunately don't have the recipe for yet (I'm working on it).  If you haven't had Speculoos before, then go find it...like right now.  It's a spiced cookie that hails from the Netherlands and is finally making it's way to the states in cookie, waffle and butter form.  And it's heaven!  Now, I'm normally not the biggest pumpkin pie fan because of the texture, but I loved this recipe - the pureé is really smooth and creamy.  Maybe it was because the chef used fresh pumpkin pureé (she recommends using the white or lighter-skinned pumpkins) and not the stuff from a can.  Either way, this is a great recipe to bust out just in time for Thanksgiving.  Oh, and be sure to make these cocktails while that pie is baking in the oven...

Pumpkin Pie Martini
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Grey Goose La Poire
• 1/2 oz Allspice Dram
• 1/2 oz Licor 43
• 3/4 oz simple syrup
• 1 heaping tsp of pumpkin butter
• 3/4 oz lemon juice
• Cinnamon sugar & dried apple chip, for garnish

- Dip your finger into the simple syrup and rub along the outside edge of a martini glass.
- Run the top of the glass in the cinnamon sugar.
- Add all ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake.
- Strain into the glass and garnish with the apple chip.

Pumpkin Pie - serves 8-10
Ingredients:

• 1 pre-baked and cooled 10" pie shell
• 2 cups pumpkin purée
• 3 whole eggs
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1 oz brandy
• 1/2 cup dark Muscovado sugar
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground mace
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp salt

- Preheat oven to 325.
- Have pie shell ready to be filled.
- Combine the purée, eggs, egg yolk, cream and brandy in a large mixing bowl.
- Whisk until smooth.
- In a small bowl, combine the sugar, ginger, cinnamon, mace, pepper and salt.
- Whisk the sugar and spice mixture into the pumpkin mixture until smooth.
- Pour into your prepared pie shell.
- Bake for about 50 minutes, or until set and lightly browned around the edges.
- Place on cooking rack to set before slicing in!