- A combination of crushed gingersnaps, ground walnuts, and melted butter is pressed into the pie plate to form a simple, flavorful crust.
- The silky pumpkin filling is seasoned with warm spices like ginger, cinnamon, and cloves and baked until just set, with foil around the edges to prevent the crust from overbrowning.
- A glossy cranberry compote — made by cooking cranberries in a sweetened orange juice base until they burst — is poured over the cooled pie before chilling.
In Greensboro, Alabama, the much-loved now-shuttered Pie Lab served as a café as well as a classroom where young men and women just out of school learned about business and culinary arts. This recipe from former Pie Lab manager Deborah Callia features a super-simple crust made from store-bought gingersnaps and ground walnuts, a velvety pumpkin filling, and a cranberry compote topping with more crunchy walnuts.
How to keep the crust’s edges from overbrowning
It’s a common pie dilemma: The perimeter of the crust becomes perfectly brown in the oven long before the filling is fully baked. Those edges must be protected from burning as the pie continues to bake; here, Callia recommends using strips of foil for the task. While this is definitely a viable option, it can be tricky to properly secure the strips on a hot pie. If you have an extra-large roll of foil, you could take a piece large enough to extend past the pie’s edges and cut a 7- to 8-inch circle out of the middle, then center the foil sheet over the pie. Better yet, if you make a fair number of pies, it’s totally worth it to invest in an inexpensive pie shield and forgo the foil altogether.
What is a fruit compote?
A fruit compote is made by simmering fruit — fresh, frozen, canned, or dried — in a sugar syrup, often with other flavorings, until thickened. Like a less-spreadable jam or similar to a cooked puree, it can be eaten on its own or used to top things like yogurt, cheesecake, French toast, or pie, as it is here. The flour in this recipe helps thicken the cranberry compote so it doesn’t run right off the pie when sliced.
Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen
Use toasted walnuts in both the crust and topping for a deeper, more nutty flavor plus an added crunch: Spread them in a single layer on a sheet pan and bake at 325°F for about 7 minutes, stirring halfway through to ensure they toast evenly. Chop the nuts before sprinkling on the compote, or leave them whole.