Name: Pumpkin Pie with Phyllo Crust
Total time: PLACEHOLDER
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: ¾ cup sugar; 1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder; 8 sheets frozen phyllo dough (each approximately 13 by 18 inches), thawed; 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter , melted; 3 large eggs , at room temperature; 2½ cups homemade pumpkin puree , or 2 (15-ounce) cans pure pumpkin puree; 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk; ⅓ cup pure maple syrup; 1 vanilla bean , halved lengthwise and scraped; 3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour; ¾ teaspoon kosher salt; whipped cream , for serving (optional)

Why This Recipe Works

I am indeed a traditionalist when it comes to celebrating holidays—asparagus and lamb at Easter, turkey with stuffing and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving, and roast beef and bûche de Noël at Christmas. But within every tradition, there is room for a twist, a surprise. Developed for a Thanksgiving MSL issue by food editor Greg Lofts, this silky-smooth pumpkin pie baked in a phyllo crust is just that sort of innovation—a break with tradition that results in exclamations of pleasure and even awe. I have always enjoyed working with phyllo, tissue-paper-thin sheets of translucent dough layered with lots of melted butter. For this pie, the crust is formed first, prebaked, then filled with a delicately flavored pumpkin custard. This recipe and more can be found in Martha: The Cookbook: 100 Favorite Recipes, with Lessons and Stories from My Kitchen.

Before You Begin

Bake until the crust is a nutty brown and the filling is set. Serve it with dollops of softly whipped cream.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Stir together ¼ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon five-spice powder. Brush 1 sheet of phyllo with butter (as you work, keep the remaining phyllo covered with a kitchen towel); sprinkle evenly with 1½ teaspoons sugar mixture.

Starting at one short end, fold the phyllo in half to enclose the butter and sugar mixture; brush the top with more butter. Transfer to a 9-inch springform pan, buttered- side down, gently pressing into the bottom and sides.

Repeat with the remaining phyllo, butter, and sugar mixture, arranging in overlapping layers to completely and evenly cover the bottom and sides of the pan.

Bake until the crust is golden, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Leave the oven on. (The baked cooled crust can be wrapped and stored at room temperature up to 1 day.)

In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, pumpkin, milk, syrup, vanilla seeds, flour, salt, and remaining ½ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon five-spice powder until smooth. Pour the mixture into the crust and bake for 20 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 350°F and continue baking until the custard is just set in the center, 40 to 50 minutes more. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool completely. Release the sides of the pan, and serve with whipped cream, if desired.