Untraditional Pumpkin Pie

1 9” Pie Shell, pre-baked
1 cup Pumpkin Puree (fresh or canned)
¾ cup Brown Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 8oz. tub Mascarpone Cheese
1 Tbs. Cocoa Powder
1 tsp. Molasses
1 tsp. Cinnamon, ground
¼ tsp. Cloves, ground
1 tsp. Crystallized Ginger
1 tsp. Ginger, ground
½ tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Orange Zest
¼ tsp. Salt
½ tsp. Black Pepper

Hazelnut Praline

1 ¼ cup Hazelnuts, roasted, husked, and rough chopped
1 ¼ cup Granulated Sugar
1/3 cup Water
1/8 tsp. Cream of Tartar

Untraditional Pumpkin Pie

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Put pumpkin and sugar in a bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer. Add eggs and molasses. Add dry ingredients, crystallized ginger, mascarpone, orange zest, and vanilla and mix together. Pour into pie shell and bake until center is set, about 50 minutes. When there is 10 minutes left, sprinkle ¼ cup of hazelnut praline on top.

Hazelnut Praline

Mix water and cream of tartar in a small saucepan. Add sugar and stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to a boil without stirring. Cook until golden. Meanwhile, cover a sheet pan with foil. When the liquid has become golden, remove from heat. Stir in hazelnuts and quickly spread out onto sheet pan in a thin layer. Let cool.

Place half in a food processor and pulse until it becomes a chunky powder. Sprinkle on pie (and snack on the rest!)