pumpkin honey beer pie

There are many things I love about the Thanksgiving dinner menu and, to be honest, because of the nature of my pastry loving heart, a huge portion of my affection is dessert-oriented. Yup, I’m referring to pies because those are the first things that cross my mind when I hear the words “Thanksgiving food”. Why do I love pies so much? It’s comfort food at its best. Simple and unapologetic yet still sophisticated enough to balance tradition with change.

A few months ago we thought about spending our Thanksgiving weekend in Portland but the house happened and the more I thought about it, it would be silly for me to not celebrate the holiday in our new home. So while I plan my menu, there is one addition this year that I’m confident will make it to my dinner feast. It’s going to be a sweet beer pumpkin honey pie that’s infused with a deep caramel malt lager from Negra Modelo.

This medium-bodied lager made by Negra Modelo is absolutely perfect, it’s got a delicious caramel flavor that’s built into the beer by subjecting the malt through a slow roasting process. Once you fold these caramel notes into the pumpkin purée and bake it, you will end up with a delicious smooth pumpkin pie that bursting with deep sweet malt flavors. 

A big slice of pumpkin pie and a chilled glass of Negra Modelo’s lager after Thanksgiving dinner or for that matter at any dinner sounds simply perfect! 

Some kitchen tips that you might find useful when you prepare this pumpkin pie;

• When reducing the beer, stir it constantly as the heat will cause the foam in the liquid to rise and it could spill out of the pan. 
• Always use unsweetened pumpkin purée for this recipe as I’ve standardized the amounts of honey and sweetener accordingly.
• Ginger is an optional spice in this recipe but do use turmeric, it will bump up the brightness of the pumpkin in the pie.
• Use whatever pie crust you love the most!

pumpkin honey beer pie

yields: serves 8

ingredients

1 bottle (335mL) Negra Modelo beer

15 ounces can unsweetened pumpkin purée

3 large eggs + 3 yolks

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon ginger powder (optional)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 cup honey

3/4 cup (150gm) packed brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1/2 cup whole milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 1/2 tablespoons water

1 pre-made pie crust shell of your choice

1. Pour the Negra Modelo into a medium-sized thick-bottomed saucepan. Heat on medium-high heat with constant stirring to bring the beer to a boil and then immediately reduce to medium-low heat. Reduce the volume of the beer to about 1/4 cup which should take about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from stove and allow to cool to room temperature before using.
2. Place a wire rack at midlevel in the oven and preheat to 350F. 
3. Place the reduced beer and all the ingredients from the pumpkin purée to the heavy cream in a large mixing bowl and whisk by hand until completely combined. Then prepare a slurry of the cornstarch with the water and whisk this into the liquid in the large mixing bowl. Transfer the pumpkin filling to a large thick bottomed saucepan and heat on medium-low heat, gently whisking it to prevent the formation of any lumps. Cook the liquid until it acquires the consistency of a thick custard and coats the back of a wooden spoon. The liquid should thicken after about 12 to 15 minutes. 
4. Place a pie dish containing the pie crust on a baking sheet and pour the pie filling. Bake the pie in the preheated oven for at least 55 to 60 minutes, rotating it halfway through the baking process. The pie is done when the center of the filling barley jiggles. Remove the pie from the oven and allow to cool completely (about 4 hours) before serving. Serve with a little sweetened whipped cream and a bottle of chilled Negra Modelo.

This is a sponsored post, developed in partnership with Negra Modelo.  All thoughts, opinions and recipes are my own.