Thanksgiving this year was a Three Pie Affair. The Maybe You’ll Like This Pumpkin Pie featured for its dedicatee, who happened to be visiting us for the holiday alongside her better half and the two miniature members of their household.

When you’re five, sometimes ice cream is better than pie, even when you say that apple pie is your very favorite.

An individual-sized apple pie was made for this curly-haired wonder, who will confidently announce at any moment that her favorite pie is APPLE pie… it just happens that she doesn’t like to eat it that much. Her mom and I dutifully helped her out with that part.

While the most diminutive member of their family is not yet of pie-consuming age, I had promised the aforementioned Better Half a pie in his honor quite some time ago. His request was eggnog pie, and this was the decadent result.

Eggnog Brulee pie pictured in front, the Maybe You’ll Like This Pie in the back. The Husband’s hand, rapidly beating heavy cream into whipped cream submission, on the right.

I should also mention that I was feeling particularly creative desirous to please the tastes of all those around me, and so I decided to make a single pie that had two different kinds of crust: half the pie had a regular piecrust, and the other half had a pumpkin snap crumb crust. (Sprouts sells pumpkin snaps (like gingersnaps), and they are so tasty. They also make lemon snaps, which I’m afraid to try because I’m afraid I’ll like them too much.)

Michael’s Eggnog Utopia (Eggnog Brulee Pie): (Made Thanksgiving 2015)

Crust:
Traditional: ½ batch pie dough
-or-
Ginger/pumpkin snap:
3/4 c. ground gingersnaps or pumpkin snaps
3 Tbsp. butter
pinch of salt
-or-
half of each of the above if you want to make a half-and-half crust like mine.

Filling:
4 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. nutmeg
½ c. sugar
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (could be omitted, if you like your pie a little less rich)
1 ¼ c. eggnog
¾ c. whipping cream

Topping:
2 Tbsp. butter, melted
4 Tbsp. sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

For the crust:
If making traditional crust, roll the dough out to a circle approximately 11 inches in diameter, then place in greased pie pan. Tuck edges under and crimp decoratively. Blind-bake the piecrust until it is partially baked: Fit a piece of aluminum foil into the unbaked crust so that the edges come up above the level of the pie crust, and fill with pie weights (or dry rice or beans). Bake for 20 minutes; if the crust still appears wet when you remove the weights and foil, return to the oven for another 5 minutes.

If making ginger/pumpkin snap crust, melt the butter and combine with crumbs and salt in a food processor (or with a fork). Press the mixture into a greased pie pan along the bottom and up the sides. Chill the crust for 15 minutes (or more), then bake for 10 minutes.

If making half-and-half crust, form the ball of pie dough (which should be 1/4 of a recipe: half of a half batch) into a thick half-moon shape. Roll out into an approximate half-circle shape that is about 11 inches wide and 5-6 inches long. Mentally dividing a greased pie pan into two half-moon halves, lay the crust so that it covers one half of the pan. The outer edge of the half circle should drape over the edges of the pie pan. Tuck the edges under and crimp decoratively. Set aside. Melt 1 ½ Tbsp. butter and combine with a pinch of salt and ¾ c. ginger/pumpkin snap crumbs in a food processor (or with a fork). Press the crumb mixture into the bottom and along the sides of the remaining half of the pie pan. Fit a piece of aluminum foil into the traditional half of the crust so that the edges come up above the level of the pie crust, and fill with pie weights (or dry rice or beans). Bake for 12-13 minutes, then remove from oven. In this method, I am intentionally choosing to slightly underbake the traditional half of the pie crust so that the snap half doesn’t become burnt.

For the filling: In a stand mixer, beat the cream cheese for 2-3 minutes on medium speed, or until smooth. Scrape the cream cheese off the sides of the mixing. Then, add eggs one at a time, continuing to mix at medium-low speed. Add sugar and spices, then eggnog and cream. Mix until combined, but don’t beat so enthusiastically that you start to whip up the whipping cream. Pour filling into the prepared crust and bake for 30-40 minutes, or until filling has set up. Side aside while preparing the brulee topping.

For the topping: While the pie is cooling, mix together the butter, sugar, and cinnamon. Spread the mixture as evenly as possible over the top of the pie. Set the oven broiler to low. Place a pie shield (or create one out of aluminum foil) over the pie crust to protect it from burning [this I did not do—oops], and place the pie back into the oven. Watch the pie carefully (!), and remove from the oven when the sugar and butter begins to brown and bubble.

Cool to room temperature (or chill) and enjoy.