Pumpkin Pie That’s Smooth, Spicy and Quick

Who would guess that the Thanksgiving Pumpkin Pie would be microwave material? With a few adjustments, everyone’s holiday favorite emerges deeply spicy and as smooth as country cream.

The main change is that we’ve substituted a crumb crust for the more traditional pastry. There’s good reason for this. Conventional pastries fare poorly in microwave ovens because they never brown properly and they absorb moisture and become disagreeably soggy.

Crumb crusts, on the other hand, are a breeze to microwave. But even they can burn in a microwave oven because of their high sugar and butter content.

To avoid problems, use a turntable so that the crusts cook more evenly. Also, check them often as they microwave, especially the center of the crust.

In addition to a basic Graham Cracker Crust, we’ve also included two variations--a Vanilla Wafer Crumb Crust and a Nut-Crumb Crust, which you may want to clip and save for future use. These three crusts are perfect for a huge repertoire of pies.

Finally, we pass along our recipe for old-fashioned Southern sweet potato pie, which sometimes makes a nice change of pace from Pumpkin Pie.

GEORGIA SWEET POTATO PIE

1 1/4 cups pureed cooked sweet potatoes

3/4 cup milk

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 (9-inch) Graham Cracker Crust

2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/4 cup light brown sugar, packed

2 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

1 teaspoon flour

Combine sweet potatoes, milk, granulated sugar, vanilla and nutmeg in 2-quart microwave-safe casserole. Cover with wax paper and microwave on HIGH (100% power) 3 minutes, stirring at half time.

Blend small amount of hot mixture into eggs and stir back into casserole. Cover with wax paper and microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 2 minutes, whisking well at half time.

Pour filling into Graham Cracker Crust, smooth top and center pie on microwave oven shelf or on turned-upside-down shallow bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM (50% power) 10 minutes, rotating pie 180 degrees at half time.

Combine pecans, brown sugar, butter and flour in small bowl. Sprinkle evenly over filling. Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM 3 to 6 minutes until all but 1-inch circle in middle of filling is set. Cool. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

PUMPKIN PIE

2 cups unsweetened pumpkin puree

3/4 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground allspice

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 (9-inch) Graham Cracker Crust

Combine pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and allspice in 2-quart microwave-safe casserole. Cover with wax paper and microwave on HIGH (100% power) 4 minutes, stirring at half time.

Blend small amount of hot mixture into eggs, stir back into casserole and microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM (50% power) 2 minutes, whisking well at half time.

Pour pumpkin mixture into Graham Cracker Crust, smooth top and center pie on microwave oven shelf or on turned-upside-down shallow bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM 13 to 16 minutes, rotating pie 180 degrees every 5 minutes, until all but 1-inch circle in center of filling is set. Cool to room temperature. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Graham Cracker Crust

1/4 cup butter or margarine

1/4 cup sugar

1 cup graham cracker crumbs

Place butter in 9-inch microwave-safe pie plate, cover with wax paper and melt by microwaving on HIGH (100% power) 45 to 55 seconds. Mix in sugar and crumbs with hands and press over bottom and up sides of pie plate.

Microwave, uncovered, on MEDIUM-HIGH (70% power) 2 1/2 to 3 minutes, rotating plate 180 degrees every minute. Cool crust before filling. Makes 9-inch pie shell.

Variations:

Vanilla Wafer Crumb Crust: Prepare as directed but substitute vanilla wafer crumbs for graham cracker crumbs and reduce sugar to 1 tablespoon.

Nut-Crumb Crust: Prepare as directed using 3/4 graham cracker or vanilla wafer crumbs and 1/3 cup finely chopped nuts (any kind).

Note: In ovens of less than 600 watts, increase cooking times about 15%.