Shakespeare’s ‘Fall Fruits’ Pumpkin Pie (Sort of…)

For a few years now I’ve had this 17th Century recipe for Pumpkin Pie from Hannah Woolley (the OG Betty Crocker), compliments of the Folger Shakespeare Library:

To make a Pumpion Pie

Take a Pumpion, pare it, and cut it in thin slices, dip it in beaten Eggs and Herbs shred small, and fry it till it be enough, then lay it into a Pie with Butter, Raisins, Currans, Sugar and Sack, and in the bottom some sharp Apples; when it is baked, butter it and serve it in.

The Folger Library had adapted this for modern tastes a little and I finally decided to try it – with a few more alterations of my own. You can find their original version here, but my version is less time-consuming and much less fiddly (win-win!). At some point I really want to try the original with herbs (see the discussion in the comments on the Folger post for info about what herbs were likely used), but for now, we are really enjoying this version which is like a “fall fruits” pie – not too sweet, very flavorful, hearty, and warming!

This pie is eminently flexible, so make whatever alterations you want! I think the spices may need to be doubled for next time, so feel free to try that… This is not the most photogenic ‘gramable pie, so maybe don’t take this for Thanksgiving to impress the new in-laws or meet the partner’s parents, but it is delicious! If you make this, please let me know in the comment how it went!!

Darcy’s Fall Harvest Pie

Ingredients – Makes 2 Pies:

Two 9″ graham cracker pie crust
2 cups streusel topping (recipe below if you need)
1 small pie pumpkin or butternut squash
3 tart apples (Northern Spy, Cortland, or Granny Smith)
6 Tbsp. butter
½ cup of assorted raisins
¼ cup of dried chopped dates
scant ¼ cup of sugar (I prefer extra-fine)
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. dried orange peel
½ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. cloves
¼ tsp. ginger
¼ tsp. cardamom
6 Tbsp. dark strong liquor (dark port, spiced rum, quince liqueur, etc.)

Directions:

Wash and cut the pumpkin/squash into chunks, about ½” thick if you can, scrap out the seeds (discard or roast for later consumption) and sauté in 1 tsp butter on medium heat until lightly browned on both sides. The pumpkin will soak up the butter, so you will have to keep adding more butter a tsp or so at a time as you go through the whole pumpkin. As they get cooked, remove from pan, peel the skin off, and toss the flesh in to a big bowl – it’s totally fine if the pumpkin gets a bit mushed in the process. When this is done, you can preheat your oven to 425F.

Wash and peel or ‘zebra stripe’ (remove large swathes of peel without fully peeling) the apples and slice into roughly ½”-1″ chunks. Add to the bowl of pumpkin.

Add in all the spices, sugar, dried dates and raisins, and liquor. Toss gently but well to evenly coat the pumpkin and apple and mix everything thoroughly.

Evenly divide the mixture into the two graham cracker crust shells, top each with 1 Tbsp of butter, top fully with streussel topping. Bake at 425F until everything looks golden – about 20 minutes.

Enjoy warm! Would be delicious with some French vanilla or butter pecan ice cream!

Streusel Topping Recipe

Streusel topping is often seen on coffee cakes and muffins, and is a quick and easy way to top desserts.

• 1 cup brown sugar, lightly packed (light or dark brown)
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (can substitute gluten-free flour 1:1)
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup (2 oz, 56 gr) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces (can use dairy-free spread, but may be a creamier texture)

Mix dry ingredients together, then use a fork or pastry cutter to cut in the butter a little at a time until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Any leftover mixture can be kept in the fridge or freezer for a couple of weeks.