Got Thanksgiving Leftovers? Make Pumpkin Pie Brulee!

So did you ever make “too much pie” for say Thanksgiving or any time for that matter?  I know really… “TKW.. there is NO SUCH THING as ‘too much pie!’ What are you thinking woman?  You losing your mind???”  I know, I know, I know.. what was I thinking?!

How about this…

Did you ever make a pie crust only to have the crust turn out “so-so” or have someone bring their version of a pie over only to have the crust be not-so-good but the filling be awesome?  Well you really don’t want to pitch it because that’s a waste (unless the entire thing is inedible) but yet you really don’t want to have to sit there and eat it only to have them say “What?  You don’t like my crust?” Yeah I know, people are sensitive about their crust, yours truly included.  Well if you’re not using my Super Flaky, Awesome Pie Crust recipe (shame on you!) and you want to salvage the pie you have because the filling rocks, why not make a brulee out of it?!

Well the former was the case in my house… we had too much pie!  See I had every intention of making Pies For One for us but wasn’t thinking (happens when I’m in holiday mode) and rolled out the 10″ deep dish pie crust, put it in the pan, filled it and popped that bad boy into the oven.  It wasn’t until eh.. 30 minutes into it’s baking did I go “DOH!  I forgot to make them as Pies For One!” So as I pulled this behemoth thing out of the oven Mr. Fantabulous came into the kitchen, sniffing away because it smelled that good, sees the monster pie and goes “Um honey, I thought it was just us for Thanksgiving?  We having company?” I looked into his gorgeous eyes, told him that I loved him and batted my baby blues.  I then got the “Honey… what did you dooooooooooo???” eyebrow raise.  To which I regressed to my 7-year-old-girl stance, toe tracing on the floor (in my piggy slippers) and said “Um, I kinda forgot what I was doing and well.. this is our pumpkin pie.  LOVE YOU!!!”  LOL  Yeah, the look of “HOLY CRAP?? I have to eat ALL THAT???” on his face was priceless!

Yeah, yours truly even has blunders in the kitchen. I’m human… really!  🙂

So today as I was making up a Thanksgiving Shepherd’s pie that behemoth pie was taunting me.  I knew I had to do something with it. That’s when it hit me… deconstruct it and make it into something totally unexpected.  Brulee!  Yeah… simple, fancy schamncy and most importantly Mr. Fantabulous would think I made up a totally new dessert!  MUAHAHAHA… what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?! *wink*

Well after we inhaled the Shepherd’s pie, I put these under the broiler for about 8 minutes to get sugar crust all caramelized and crunchy.

When Mr. Fantabulous when to dig in and realized that it was brulee by the top cracking his eyes lit up like he just bought a new power tool!  After his 3rd bite (he needs 3 bites to figure out if he likes something or not) he was eying mine up which meant he LOVED IT.  LOL  This is a definite keeper and like I said, he’s none the wiser that it was just that behemoth pumpkin pie… revamped.  So don’t tell him 🙂

Got Thanksgiving Leftovers? Make Pumpkin Pie Brulee!

• Author: The Kitchen Whisperer

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Ingredients

• Leftover Pumpkin Pie
• 1 tablespoon of white sugar for each ramekin
• Cinnamon Sugar for dusting
• Vanilla bean ice cream or whipped cream for garnish

Instructions

1. If you do not have a kitchen torch, place the rack to the upper rung in the oven and put on broil. If you do have one, skip this step.
2. On a plate, carefully separate the crust from the filling.
3. In a 6 ounce ramekin, line the bottom with the pie crust pieces (sides and bottom). I wouldn’t recommend using the edges as that can dry out.
4. Sprinkle the crust with a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon sugar mixture.
5. Gently place the pie filling on top and lightly press down to get an even surface.
6. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of sugar on top distributing as evenly as possible.
7. Pick up the ramekin and turn it from side to side, tapping the sides as you go to help the sugar spread out more. You still should be able to see the filling below. If you have excess dump it out.
8. Using a kitchen, torch the top until sugar is caramelized.
9. If you do not have one, set the ramekins in a heat-safe pan.
10. Fill up the pan with 1/2” of water and place the entire pan on the rack under the broiler.
11. Broil just until the top is browned ~5-10 minutes. Be sure to rotate frequently to ensure even caramelization/browning.

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