If you had to choose something to eat every day for the rest of your life, what would it be?

The only reason I am asking is that when Justin came over to have a piece of this pie, he said that his dish of choice would be pumpkin pie. Hands down. No questions asked.

I have never seen someone so passionate about a baked good before.

So then I started thinking about it. And I would be really hard-pressed to choose.

My favorite desserts are ice cream, tiramisu, and bread pudding. But every day? From now until eternity? Ever and anon?

Maybe not dessert then. Maybe something savory is more in order. Lasagna? Ravioli? Sweet potatoes?

But would any of these be worth not ever having dessert again? It’s a vicious cycle. Not gonna lie.

When I found out that this month’s Have the Cake recipe was apple pie, I was really excited. But also kind of nervous. As I have noted before, pies are hard. The filling needs to be just the right consistency, homemade crust is kind-of a pain to make (who really knows how to “cut in butter” anyway?), there’s a fine line between the pie being too sweet or completely lackluster in the flavor department, etc.

Or maybe I’m just a worrier at heart.

Very likely.

But when I saw this recipe for Pumpkin Apple Pie on the Whole Foods website that had gotten rave reviews, all of my anxieties and hang-ups went out the window. Sometimes you’ve just gotta jump in feet first, I thought. Things may turn out badly. But then again. Maybe not.

And sometimes, that’s a risk you just have to take.

(Note to self – trying to philosophize on life through pie metaphors may seem like a good idea at 6AM but you should prepare yourself for the possibility that you may cause other people to think you are on crack.)

The pie was actually really good, though. It was an ideal combination of my favorite fall produce. Which, between the two, I probably do actually eat every day. What with the 12 pounds of winter squash and all. And the 5 lb bags of apples that Sophie and I keep buying. It’s a tough life but someone’s gotta eat it.

Pumpkin Apple Pie
Serves 8, adapted from the Whole Foods website

1/3 cup light brown sugar
1 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon, divided
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/3 cup water
2 tbsp butter
2 granny smith apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
1 egg
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin puree
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 cup evaporated milk
1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Put brown sugar, cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, water and butter into a medium pot and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Add apples and cook, tossing to coat in sugar mixture, 3 to 4 minutes more. Remove from heat and set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together egg, granulated sugar, pumpkin, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, remaining 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, cloves, ginger and milk until well combined.

3. Pour apple mixture into pie shell then spoon pumpkin mixture evenly over the top. Bake for 10 minutes then reduce temperature to 375°F and bake until filling is just set in the middle, about 40 minutes more. Set aside on a wire rack to let cool completely then cut into slices.


Okay now back to the SF recap. For today’s edition, I think I will describe the food that I ate. Since we are foodies. And all.

This picture has nothing to do with food. But it is me, in the hotel lobby, next to the Team In Training schedule-of-events. I adored my experience with Team In Training and would train with them again in a heartbeat. Fundraising was the hardest part for me, but everyone was so supportive and so helpful. And it was nice to have a team there on race day to calm my nerves and hug me when I got really anxious and reassure me that everything would be okay.
When I was researching restaurants in SF I was completely overwhelmed by the myriad of options. Thankfully, Justin from JustCookNYC had just visited there and had a gazillion suggestions for me!

One of his suggestions was Burma Superstar, a Burmese restaurant that has been featured on the Food Network a few times. Although I have had Burmese food before in NY (it is kind of a fusion between all Asian cuisines – Thai, Indian, Chinese, etc.), it was only from a crappy hole in the wall. So I was excited to try some good, quality dishes.
Tiffany and I waited an hour for a table here (it was packed!) but it was so worth the wait. We started out with an appetizer plate of this Chicken Coconut Curry dip with Paratha to dunk in. The coconut flavor was so deliciously prominent. I loved it.

For a main dish, I got the Pumpkin and Pork Stew while Tiffany got a curry dish. We also split an order of coconut rice that was topped with some fried onions. Everything was amazing. This place is a must-go if you ever find yourself wandering the streets of SF while hungry.
The next night was pre-race night, so we were all about the carb loading. We were going to be adventurous and hit up one of SF’s many Italian restaurants but then I got cold feet about the whole thing (I was worried about eating something that would bother my stomach) and so we ended up at The Cheesecake Factory. Yes, it is ridiculous that I went all the way to California to eat at a chain restaurant. But I figured tried and true is the way to go sometimes. And although it may demolish my credentials as a foodie, Cheesecake Factory is good. I ordered a dish called Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta, which consisted of tons of roasted veggies in an olive oil based sauce over penne. It was good.
Now we come to Sunday. Post race. I was ravenous.

First, we got brunch at this diner-ish place near the hotel. I ordered the pumpkin crepes with a side of English muffins (I would like some carbs with my carbs, thank you very much!). They were really good, but the hostess was kind of obnoxious so I am not going to go into very much detail. Tiffany’s croque monsieur was mediocre. Nothing to write home about.

After brunch/lunch, I lay in bed all day. Which apparently, after 26.2 miles, forces you to work up quite a hunger. So then we headed out to Mission for some Mexican food and ice cream!

We ended up at a hole-in-the-wall taqueria for dinner. The food, while being simple street food, was absolutely delicious and completely authentic. SF is apparently the place to go for good Mexican food. I have never had anything in NY that compares. I ordered the carnitas dinner platter, which came with some guacamole, chips, tortillas, rice, refried beans, and salad. All for under ten dollars. Plus they had a ton of salsas sitting out at a salsa bar that you could sample. I, as someone who has and does eat salsa from the jar with a spoon as a snack, was in heaven.

Then, also per Justin’s suggestion, we went to Bi-Rite Creamery, which supposedly has the best homemade ice cream in all of SF. I ordered a sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream and brownie topping over a scoop each of Cinnamon with Snickerdoodle and Malted Vanilla with Peanut Brittle and Milk Chocolate Pieces ice cream. What is the point of running 26.2 miles if you are not going to eat to your heart’s desire? Right? Right.

This ice cream was JP Licks-worthy (my favorite ice cream joint in Boston and the place where I will be headed right after the Boston marathon). It’s a good thing it is now 3,000 miles away. Otherwise we might have a problem.

All in all, SF is definitely a foodie paradise when it comes to restaurants. There were so many there, all of which looked amazing, and so I will have to go back. Many, many times.

And because inquiring minds want to know, the cookbooks I bought were The Curry Bible by Mridula Baljekar and Heirloom Baking with the Brass Sisters by Marilynn and Sheila Brass. Plus I should also mention that I won Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World from Xiaolu over at 6 Bittersweets. For which I am eternally thankful and ridiculously excited.

You are reading this post on Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com. Excerpts and links may be used, provided that full and clear credit is given to the author and or owner of Eats Well With Others. All rights reserved by Joanne Bruno.
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33 Responses to Have the Cake – Pumpkin Apple Pie

  1. Pam says:

    My two favorite pies combined into one!

  2. Jen says:

    Wow, that looks great! I make a Pumpkin Cheesecake every Thanksgiving. Also Delicious!

    I don’t think I could live without Pasta, cheese and bread, so Baked Ziti might be a dish I could eat everyday, with some cheesecake for dessert 🙂

  3. Pumpkin + apples? Wow, this one should be a relly super yummy combination! What a great idea to try!

  4. Nat says:

    I thought the title sort of meant…’with this pie’…’you can have the cake and eat it’ : ) ! …well…it really is that…the best of BOTH for those who can’t make up their minds…like me…most of the time : ) …This looks lovely Joanne….Thank you!

  5. Mari says:

    omg both of my fave pies in one! amazing

  6. Lea Ann says:

    mmmm and served warm with some vanilla ice cream???? yeah baby!

    Loved reading about SF. It’s a great city.

  7. Palidor says:

    If I ran a marathon, I’d be eating a scoop of every flavor of ice cream imaginable! The pie looks wonderful, though I have to confess that I don’t like pumpkin. Definitely love apples! If I had to choose just one dish to eat every day, I have to say it will not be a dessert. Maybe fried rice?

  8. Amy says:

    Oh, it’s no secret to anyone who knows me that I could (and would) eat pie (any kind) for the rest of my life. It has been well documented. This Pumpkin Apple Pie is no exception.

  9. Denise says:

    This looks really amazing, love that I can make out the shapes of the apples.. Potato chips, I could every day!!!

  10. I appreciate that pies worry you, they did me too…and what wrong with being a worrier at heart. (I am starting to worry there might be something wrong with that ;?)

  11. rena says:

    That pie looks delicious as does your food tour of SF.

  12. Juliana says:

    Pumpkin and apple sounds and looks yummie…great idea 🙂 It seems that you had lots of fun in SF!

  13. Kerstin says:

    Mm, so many good SF eats! I usually order Evelyn’s Favorite Pasta from the CF too!

    Love your apple pumpkin pie, it’s the best of best worlds!

  14. Thanks for filling us in on the books!
    What a fabulous time you have had. 🙂

  15. All of your cookbooks sound interesting! Great picks. What yummy eats you had! This is such a unique pie – I can’t recall ever seeing the two combined before. It’s the best of two worlds! I’m off to check out the Heirloom baking book on Amazon.

  16. well, my current passion is bread pudding. But that can be flavored a hundred different ways, so not sure if that is cheating.

    I love the idea for your pie

  17. Kim says:

    Your pumpkin and apple pie sounds marvelous! I could definitely go for a piece right now with a little bit of whipped cream – yum! I love the pics of you all in SF. I think SF is a foodie’s paradise. I would love to go there again and eat my heart out!

  18. Yep, 5 lbs of apples here too, but I only hve 6 lbs of squash on hand. I know, slacking. That pie looks delish though!

  19. Sophia says:

    Sorry, girl, not a fan of pumpkin pie at all. I love pumpkin but just not in sweet dishes!
    Burma Superstar!! I heard such good things about it!

  20. Graziana says:

    yum, sounds perfect for thanksgiving!

  21. I haven’t seen pumpkin and apple combined ina pie befroe but it makes total sense and your pie looks gorgeous. I know what you mean about S.F. and the choices, I’m from N.O. and it boggles the mind about what to eat if you’re a visitor.

  22. teresa says:

    what a fun pie! i love the two flavors rolled into one. and the trip sounds so fun. a thousand kudos for running a marathon, i can’t even imagine that!

  23. SE(Denufood) says:

    hey joanne..the pie looks so delicious..your post has come at the right time..i’ve got apples and pumpkins all lying around…hey by the way do pick up your awards from my post..

  24. The pumpkin and apple pie looks marvelous!

  25. Apple and Pumpkin must make for a super pie. Some of these combinations make all the difference. If apple pie is great and pumpkin pie is great, then apple pumpkin is even greater. Makes sense.

  26. Shannon says:

    love the looks of that pie! and i might have to try and find bi-rite when i’m in sf:)

  27. this is amazing what a great pie

  28. Awwww! Aren’t you so cute in your photos! 😀

    I love this pie! I’ve never tried this combination. What a nice idea. Great for Thanksgiving.

  29. A combination of pumpkin and apple pie sounds terrific, yum!

  30. nora@ffr says:

    I bet it smell superb…from the combination! Great job!
    cheers!!

  31. Elra says:

    You look so pretty Joanne. Wish I can meet you personally when you were in SFO.

    Anyway, your pumpkin pie sounds delicious.

  32. Donna-FFW says:

    Pumpkin and apple in a pie.. never had that combo in pie form. GREAT choice, looks perfect.

    Sounds like you had a blast in san fran!! I like cheesecake factory also..shhh..

    You have a great smile!

  33. Debinhawaii says:

    Such a cool pie and a great combination of ingredients. Love your adventures in SF and the cookbooks you chose sound great.

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