Book of Days Tales

Today could be the birthday (1868) of Scott Joplin, the “King of Ragtime.” During his brief career, he wrote 44 original ragtime pieces, one ragtime ballet, and two operas. One of his first, and most popular pieces, the “Maple Leaf Rag”, became ragtime’s most influential hit, and is often considered the archetypal rag.

Readers of my old blog (of the same name) asked me for my personal pumpkin pie recipe on Thanksgiving and I obliged on my Joplin post because of the overlap of maple leaf and maple syrup because the recipe is rich in maple syrup. This recipe makes a great pie which I have produced for friends and family numerous times. I’m not a fan of pumpkin, but I enjoy this pie. My main advice, though, is that it can easily be ruined by being sloppy with your ingredients. Use real pumpkin puree if you can. All this takes is cutting the meat out of a pumpkin (perhaps left over from Halloween) and using a food processor to make it into a puree. Remove all the stringy bits. If you have to use tinned pumpkin make sure it is REAL pumpkin. Processing plants often sell winter squash and call it pumpkin. Winter squash pie is fine, but it is not pumpkin pie. Use the best 100% pure maple syrup, not some cheap sugar syrup mix. I always used the finest maple syrup, darkest possible, which I bought in Vermont direct from local producers. Make the spices freshly ground if you can, or buy the best. Sri Lankan “true” cinnamon beats all others. Sweetness here comes from the condensed milk, not sugar.

© Tío Juan’s Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

16 oz pumpkin puree
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp freshly ground nutmeg
½ tsp salt
9 inch unbaked pie crust
100% pure maple syrup
chopped filberts (hazel nuts)

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 425˚F/220˚C

Use a whisk or electric stand mixer to beat together the pumpkin, condensed milk, eggs, spices, and salt until you have a smooth creamy mixture. Pour the mixture into the pie crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 425˚F/220˚C.

Reduce the oven temperature to 350˚F/175˚C and continue baking for 20 minutes.

Very quickly drizzle the top of the pie with maple syrup, sprinkle with nuts, and return to the oven. Continue baking for an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick pushed into the center comes out clean.

Serve hot or cold. Extra maple syrup and whipped cream won’t go amiss.