Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie

Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie adds rye whiskey’s spicy, fruity flavor notes to silky pumpkin pie, yielding a more adult but not boozy version of an old favorite.  American rye whisky, which must be made with at least 51% rye grain, is less sweet and with a lighter body than it’s more well-known cousin, bourbon, and produces drier, less sweet, cocktails.  For some historical notes, George Washington’s original distiller at Mount Vernon averaged 11,000 gallons per year of rye whiskey at its peak and rye whiskey was the prevalent whiskey in the northeastern states, particularly Maryland and Pennsylvania, with Pittsburgh being the center of rye whiskey production in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. Rye whiskey largely disappeared after Prohibition, though happily it has been undergoing a growing revival in the United States since the beginning of the 21^st century, with many bartenders restoring it in many classic cocktails such as the whiskey sour and old fashioned. The Brooklyn, made with rye whiskey, is rivalling its cousin, the Manhattan, in popularity as well. 

Our Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie brings rye whiskey into the bakery and uses it in both the pie crust and the pie filling.  The filling for Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie incorporates, in addition to rye whiskey and spices, heavy cream for silkiness, eggs for lightness and vanilla extract which enhances the rye whiskey’s flavor notes.  While this recipe is keto, you may substitute non-keto ingredients as you like; however, we recommend making the recipe as is, you won’t even notice it’s keto. Enjoy Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie any time of the year, particularly for dessert after Brandied Beef Tri Tip.

For the pie crust: Prep Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 35 minutes. 

For the pie: Prep Time: 15 minutes, Total Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes. Serves 8.

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Ingredients:

For the pie crust:

• 1 ½ cup Almond Flour
• 3 tbs. Coconut Flour
• ½ tsp. Baking Powder
• ¼ tsp. fine Sea Salt
• 4 tbs. melted Unsalted Butter
• 1 large Egg, beaten
• 2 Tbs Rye Whiskey

For the pie filling:

• ½ cup Keto-friendly Brown Sugar or regular Dark Brown Sugar
• ½ tsp ground Cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground Nutmeg
• ½ tsp ground Cloves
• ½ tsp ground Ginger
• ½ tsp ground Cardamom
• ¼ tsp fine Sea Salt
• 15 oz Pumpkin Puree
• 4 Tbs Rye Whiskey
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
• 1/3 cup Heavy Cream
• 2 Large Eggs, beaten

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. In a large bowl, mix together the almond flour, coconut flour, baking powder, and sea salt.
2. Add melted unsalted butter and rye whiskey, mix with the dry ingredients lightly, then add the beaten egg and mix together to form the pie crust dough.
3. Using your hands, press the dough evenly into a deep 9” or 10” pie pan, taking care to keep the crust at an even thickness at bend of the pan from the bottom to the sides; prick the dough with a fork to make holes into the crust.
4. Bake the pie crust until light golden-brown, approximately 20 minutes; remove the crust from the oven place on a rack and allow to cool thoroughly to room temperature.
5. Heat the oven to 365 F; combine the Keto-friendly brown sugar or regular dark brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, cardamom and sea salt in a mixing bowl.
6. Add the pumpkin puree, rye whiskey, vanilla extract, heavy cream and beaten eggs to the mixing bowl; stir to mix the ingredients together, yielding the pie filling.
7. Spoon the filling into the room-temperature pie crust.  Place the pie pan on a baking sheet and place on the middle rack of the oven and bake the pie for 1 hour until the filling has set but still jiggles in the middle and the pie is a golden-brown on top.
8. Transfer the Pumpkin and Rye Whiskey Pie to a cooling rack and allow it to cool to room temperature before serving.