After roasting a pumpkin last week, I knew I was going to make a pie. And I wanted something a little different. We’ve already eaten some store-bought pumpkin pie this year and Peter’s mom likes to make pumpkin muffins year-round. I was looking for something a little more jazzed up. Something that says, “I’m a fancy dessert,” while not needing five hours of commitment on my part. Let’s be honest, sometimes I just want to watch movies and cuddle with my boyfriend and our dog.
Cheesecake was my next thought, but I didn’t want a heavy, cream-cheese-laden cake hanging out in my house for the next week. After a little bit of thought and research, I settled on using mascarpone and some egg yolks to whip up a light, fluffy savory pumpkin pie that can easily be drizzled with maple syrup for dessert or served besides brussels sprouts for an easy, weeknight vegetarian meal.
Savory Pumpkin-Mascarpone Pie
1 pre-made pie crust
2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 cup mascarpone
3 Tbs brown sugar
3 egg yolks, beaten
1” freshly grated ginger (use young if you can find it, it has a more mild flavor)
1 Tbs cardamom
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp salt
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Combine pumpkin, mascarpone, and brown sugar in a large bowl.
- Fold in egg yolks.
- Fold in ginger, cardamom, cayenne, and salt
- Pour mixture into pie crust.
- Bake in oven for 45 minutes to an hour. The pie should not jiggle when you give it a nudge and the top should be browned, but not burnt.
