Pumpkin Pie (Sour Cream)

As every baker knows, Thanksgiving is really about the pie. The turkeys may get the covers of the all the glossy mags, but it's the pie - specifically pumpkin pie - that counts. Skip it and no one will ever come to your home for Thanksgiving dinner ever again. Here's the recipe for my favourite pie for the holiday. It's got a creamy pumpkin filling that's smoothed with sour cream, spiced like eggnog and dark rum. The filling can be used to make either a pie or a tart. I usually make a pie for Thanksgiving and a tart when I want something a little lighter and a little more elegant. (If you make this as a tart, you'll have filling leftover, which you can use to make mini-tartlets; bake the minis at 400°F for 10-15 minutes.)

1 recipe All-Butter Pastry Dough
1½ cups sour cream
1½ cups canned solid-pack pumpkin (13 oz)
3 large eggs, separated
1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
¾ tsp. ground cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg, freshly grated
¼ tsp. ground ginger
¼ tsp. sea salt

To Serve:
lightly sweetened whipped cream

Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13" round and fit into a 9" glass or metal pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a ½" overhang, then fold overhang under pastry and press against rim of pie plate to reinforce edge. Decoratively crimp edge and chill shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

While shell chills, put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F (190°C/170°C fan, Gas Mark 5).

Lightly prick bottom and side of chilled pie shell all over with a fork. Line shell with foil and fill with pie weights. Bake until pastry is pale golden along rim and set underneath weights, about 20 minutes. Carefully remove foil and weights and bake shell until bottom and side of pastry are pale golden, about 10 minutes more. Cool completely in pie plate on a rack, about 20 minutes. Leave oven on.

Make the Filling:
Heat 1 cup sour cream in a double boiler or a large metal bowl set over a large wide pot of boiling water until warm, stirring occasionally.

Whisk together pumpkin, yolks, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, salt, and remaining ½ cup sour cream in another bowl until combined and whisk into hot sour cream. Cook over simmering water, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until thickened and registers 170°F on thermometer, about 6 minutes. Remove from heat and cool pumpkin mixture in bowl set in a larger bowl of ice water, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Beat egg whites in another bowl with an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks. Fold whites into pumpkin mixture gently but thoroughly.

Pour filling into cooled shell, smoothing top, and bake until filling is set and puffed around edge, 40-50 minutes. Cool pie to room temperature on a rack, about 2 hours.

Makes 8 servings.

Make-Ahead: Pie can be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Serve chilled or at room temperature.