Preparation for the Caramel Pumpkin Pie

• Place the sifted flour, together with salt and sugar, in the bowl of a stand mixer along with the cold butter (make sure! the butter must be cold from the fridge).

  Mix for a few minutes with the paddle attachment until you obtain a crumbly mixture (you can also achieve this by rubbing the mixture between your fingers).

  Next, add the COLD water and mix for a short time until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.

  Take the dough, flatten it on parchment paper (so it will cool evenly), and place it in the refrigerator for at least half an hour.

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• Cut the pumpkin into cubes; I used the Delica type (make sure it’s nice and firm, otherwise it will release too much liquid during cooking, in which case sauté it in a pan to remove excess liquid) place the pumpkin cubes on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and cover with a sheet of aluminum foil.

• Bake the pumpkin at 390°F for an hour until it completely softens.

• Once cooked, remove the pumpkin from the oven, gather and weigh the remaining pulp (you need 8.8 oz), then pass it through a sieve (or you can blend it with the hand blender) and let it cool down.

  Finally, add the pumpkin puree to the caramel sauce along with the cinnamon, sugar, and two eggs (one at a time), and mix all the ingredients well with a hand whisk.

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• For the caramel sauce: pour 0.8 cups of sugar into a saucepan with a thick bottom (better if copper) and place it over medium heat, stirring until the sugar melts.

• As soon as the sugar turns golden and homogeneous without any more grains, stop stirring and cook until a dark caramel forms (not too dark, otherwise it will become bitter).

• Meanwhile, also heat the cream in a saucepan over low heat, being careful not to let it boil.

• Then pour the hot cream over the brown caramel (be careful, because the caramel initially will create large bubbles when in contact with the hot cream) leave everything on the heat for another 1-2 minutes and then remove from the heat.

• After half an hour in the fridge, take the chilled pie dough, roll it out on a sheet of parchment paper, and line a round pan (about 8 inches in diameter) greased and floured.

• On top of the dough, place a sheet of aluminum foil and on the sheet, to prevent the dough from puffing up during cooking, place some weights (rice, dried legumes, specific baking weights) or use a perforated tray directly.
  Bake in a preheated oven at 390 °F for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake the pie for another 5 minutes.

  

• After 5 minutes, take the pan from the oven and pour the prepared pumpkin filling onto the baked base.

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• Put the pumpkin pie back in the oven at 350 °F and bake for another half hour, until the filling sets and becomes slightly wobbly.
  

• Before serving, it is best to let the pumpkin pie rest in the fridge for at least 6 hours or even better overnight, so the filling sets and the flavors blend better.
  

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• Serve this wonderful pumpkin pie with extra caramel sauce (in which case, prepare a double dose as above) or simply with semi-whipped cream.