Bustling around her kitchen, Sophomore Vicky Hung prepares her special velvet pumpkin pie for her family this autumn. Hung combines a variety of dry spices and sweet mixtures to give her pie a smooth texture. This recipe gives pies thickness and volume that separates her pies from the rest.
“Baking is all about experimentation,” Hung said. “Add different ingredients and see what works best.”
Ingredients
½ teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of ginger
¼ teaspoon of ground nutmeg
⅛ teaspoon of Chinese five-spice powder
1 full teaspoon of cinnamon
3 egg yolks
1 large egg
1 can of pumpkin puree
1 pie shell
1 cup of condensed milk
¼ cup of maple syrup
To make Hung’s velvet pie, first preheat the oven to 425° F. Mix three egg yolks and a large egg with the pumpkin puree in a large bowl until smooth.
Next, add one cup of condensed milk and mix the salt, ginger, nutmeg, maple syrup, cinnamon and Chinese five-spice powder to the mixture for the pie filling. You can taste the filling for any inconsistencies.
Then, pour the mixture into the pie shell. Remember to remove some of the filling if the mixture overflows.
After 15 minutes, place the pie in the oven and heat it to 350° F for 30-40 minutes.
Once the pie is finished baking, it should have a smooth surface clean of cracks. The variety of spices should give the pie a unique flavor that complements its silky texture.