Donna Andrews

The Pie

I called Mom and told her I was making the pie for Thanksgiving.

"The Pie?" she asked.

"Of course," I replied.

The recipe follows.

Mother's Sinfully Rich Pumpkin Mousse Pie

Like Meg's mother, my mom found this recipe in the Newport News Daily Press about thirty years ago.  It's much more work than the average pumpkin pie, but the Langslow and Andrews families think it's worth the trouble.

1 9-inch pie shell, cooled 
(Mother will forgive you if you buy a precooked one.  Or if you don't tell her, she'll never guess.)

1 envelope unflavored gelatin
½ C praline liqueur or Amaretto
1 16 ounce can of pumpkin
4 egg yolks, lightly beaten
½ C packed brown sugar
½ C granulated sugar
¼ C butter or margarine, melted
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
4 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
¾ C whipped cream.  Yes, real cream.

Soften gelatin in liqueur, set aside.
Heat pumpkin and all ingredients through cloves in a saucepan over medium heat.
Stir constantly until lightly boiling and slightly thickened.
Remove from heat.
Beat in gelatin mixture.
Cool, but do not allow to harden completely.
Beat the egg whites, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg whites and whipped cream into pumpkin mixture.
Pour into pie shells, mounding in center.
(You may have to pour part in, let it harden a bit, and then fill the rest.  It makes a very full pie.)
Garnish with more whipped cream.

Où sont les feuilles d’antan?

The fall color came and went while I was too sick with colds and too busy with the book to prowl around taking pictures of it.  All the leaves are brown, and lying around all over my yard to boot. I spent some time wandering about, camera in hand, looking for something to photograph, and had to fall back on picturesque fungi.  Not that I want an early winter or anything, but at least snow is photogenic.

Yes, I've been AWOL a lot

Blame deadlines. But I'm blogging all this week over at my publisher's blog, Moments in Crime.