Once, I made 12 pies for a friends-and-family dinner. When I was starting the sixth, I had serious regrets. Even rolling out the crusts can be a pain, especially in Hawaii weather. I may have converted to already-formed crusts since then, but don’t tell anyone. While I don’t care too much about turkey and stuffing, and especially am not interested in cooking all day for one meal, I always make exceptions for pie. I used to have a long-running discussion with a friend over the years about what was better, pie or cake, and whether certain desserts counted as “pie.” I think she was right after all, because I’ve come around to pie being the crowd-pleaser. Now I know which pies practically make themselves. Pecan, pumpkin and berry are my top choices for juggling multiple baking projects and getting a versatile selection of flavors.
This is our last hurrah for pumpkin season, but I can’t promise there won’t be a hana hou. It’s probable that you’ll have a pumpkin pie or two on your table this week and hopefully leftovers for days to come. This week, I’m adding a pumpkin pie mochi that you can squeeze into your lofty plans. This pumpkin pie mochi isn’t your usual crusted dessert, but it does work for a custardy and comforting accompaniment to the season. Even better, it’s good soon out of the oven and doesn’t require too much forethought. That’s an important quality in a day of many preparations.
The only problem with making multiple desserts is that everyone wants to try a slice of each. It may be an unpopular opinion, but there’s no reason you can’t cut your pie into a grid rather than slices. You’ll have people who prefer the edges or the middle. A gridded pie is served more easily (and into more pieces) than your pretty pie slices. Why not sack tradition and go with a square of pie, especially if you’re serving mochi.
If you’re looking for more options in your dessert selection, especially if you’re making multiple pies, I recommend this as a simple solution. Baked mochi is easy and I rarely meet someone who does not enjoy it. Make two with the same amount of work as one if you need to fill out the dessert table. Your gluten-free friends will thank you.
Pumpkin Pie Mochi
Ingredients:
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• (1) 15-ounce can pumpkin
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cup mochiko flour
• 1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 9-inch pie plate. In a glass measuring cup, pour the half-and-half and milk. Cut the butter into pieces and add to the milk. Microwave the milk and the butter in 30-second increments until the butter is melted.
In a large bowl, add the pumpkin, eggs and sugar. Whisk thoroughly. Add the warm butter and milk and whisk again. Finally, add the mochiko ~ our, baking powder, salt and pumpkin pie spice. Whisk until completely blended.
Pour the batter into the pie plate. There is some variation in pie plate depth, so don’t over˚ ll the pan. There should be some room at the top for it to expand, but it doesn’t need to be much. Bake the mochi for 1 hour.
The mochi should be browned on the top and look like it is set in the middle.
Let cool for about 10 minutes and serve with whipped cream. Best eaten while warm, but it can be stored in the fridge and reheated in the microwave if there are leftovers.
Mariko Jackson writes about family and food. Email her at thelittlefoodie@gmail.com.
