black sesame custard pumpkin pie

hi friends!  

i LOVE pumpkin pie and i’ll still eat it no matter the szn. do you remember the eggy dan tat pie that i made a few years ago? well i adapted that recipe by adding in black sesame paste for a nutty creaminess and also turned it into a pumpkin pie. this pie has two layers - the bottom being the black sesame eggy sweet custardy goodness, and the top is a cinnamony floOoooofy pumpkin chiffon. who wouldn’t want all of that floating atop a buttery flaky crust?

the recipe requires paying close attention to each step. i’ve made it just about every single year since the recipe was developed and fine-tuned it so that it comes out perfectly. hope you give it a try and enjoyyyyyyy <3

p.s. i’d bake this the day before thanksgiving. it’s a process but well worth it. also, if you don’t have a 9” springform pan, bake it in a pie dish - you just might get two pies out of the recipe if so.

xo, christine

black sesame custard pumpkin pie

ingredients

special equipment

rolling pin

9-inch springform pan

pie weights, beans, rice to fill pan

aluminum foil

pie crust

2.5 cups all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon kosher salt

250g cold unsalted butter cubed

1/3 cup ice-cold water

black sesame custard

1 cup cane sugar

1 cup water

1 cinnamon stick

½ cup all purpose flour + ½ cup milk

1 ½ cup warmed milk

2 tablespoons black sesame paste

7 egg yolks (save 3 egg whites)

 pumpkin pie chiffon

3 eggs

½ cup cane sugar

1 tablespoon corn starch

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup roasted squash puree (danhobak, kabocha, buttercup)

1/3 cup heavy cream

+ 

2 reserved egg whites (from black sesame custard)

3 cup cane sugar

to garnish (optional)

powdered sugar

roasted squash

toasted black sesame seeds

notes

prep work: cut squash into quarters skin side up and roast in oven at 400F for 45 minutes or until flesh is tender.

pie crust

1. combine flour and salt in mixing bowl. toss in cold butter cubes until butter is coated in flour. smoosh butter with your fingertips until they’re pea sized lumps. slowly pour in ice cold water and incorporate until ball shame forms. be sure to keep butter cold and transfer to fridge if butter no longer feels cold. cover with plastic wrap and press ball down into a disk shape. set in fridge to chill for at least 15 minutes.

2. preheat oven to 400F and butter the bottom (~1 tbs) and sides of the springform pan.

3. dust working surface lightly with flour and roll dough out into a circle and until it’s 1/8 of an inch thick. to get a somewhat even circle, rotate dough 90 degrees when shape looks uneven and also lift to lightly dust the bottom to ensure there’s no sticking. set pan in middle of the dough, measure two inches out from the rim, trace, trim, and remove excess dough.

4. transfer dough onto center of pan and gently press dough down into corners and smooth up the walls. do not use too much force or create tension in the dough – this will cause the dough to sag or rebel and take its own shape during baking. trim any excess dough up top. place dough in freezer for 10-15 minutes until it hardens.

5. line the inside of the shell with parchment paper or foil, fill to top with pie weights, beans, or rice. cover the exposed edges with foil (to prevent premature browning) and bake for 15-17 minutes. once pie crust is removed from oven, keep the temperature to 400F degrees for the black sesame custard.

black sesame custard

1. bring sugar, cinnamon stick, and water up to a high heat in a small saucepan until it thickens and becomes a syrup. in a larger saucepan, warm 1 ½ cups of milk.

2. in a mixing bowl, whisk together ½ cups flour and ½ cups milk until it thickens into a paste. slowly stream in warmed milk, then syrup (remove cinnamon stick), and whisk together. add black sesame paste and whisk until incorporated. transfer mixture to larger saucepan and bring up to a medium heat. whisk in egg yolks one at a time and whisk until a liquid custard develops (5-7 minutes).

3. by now, the pie shell should have been removed from the oven and cooled down. pour black sesame custard into pie shell, protect the crust edges with foil, and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top layer of the custard develops a firm film but still jiggly. remove from oven and allow it to cool down. set oven down to 350F for the squash chiffon.

pumpkin chiffon

1. remove seeds of squash and carve and mash up the tender flesh until you have about a cup of puree. you’ll only really need about half of a squash so reserve the other half for garnishing or to consume while you’re baking!

2. in a mixing bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, starch, and salt. incorporate squash puree into mixture along with 3 eggs, then whisk in heavy cream.

3. beat egg whites for 5 minutes on high and slowly pour in sugar. beat for another 3-5 minutes on high until stiff peaks form. fold egg whites into squash mixture – careful not to overmix here. pour mixture on top of black sesame custard and bake for 55-60 minutes or until top is golden brown.

finishing

1. once pie has cooled down, sprinkle powdered sugar and garnish with squash slices and black sesame (optional)

2. i also noticed that this pie gets better when chilled for a few hours but if you need to consume immediately, be my guest!