The organic dilemma.  It is a hot topic – one I think about often.  I switched over to a CSA market basket where I get all organic fruits and vegetables every week.  I pretty much only buy organic milk for my kids.  But, for the most part – organic foods are just more expensive, and I am cheap.  If I happen to be at Whole Foods picking up a few things I need (ok, I guess I can’t be that cheap if I shop at Whole Foods, but really you can get some good deals there), I will pick up some items that I would ordinarily get at Trader Joes.  I did just that for this Pumpkin Pie – and it was very interesting.  I picked up a container of organic sour cream (it was actually on sale, and a very good price) as well as a can of organic sweetened condensed milk.  When I opened the sweetened condensed milk, I noticed that there was a hard layer on the bottom that I could not scoop out – I have never seen that happen with the Eagle Brand that I normally use.  Also – when I whisked in the sour cream – little tiny bits did not get absorbed.  Ok, so maybe it was not the fact that it was organic, but I have never had that happen to me with the non-organic brands I use.  Still, the pie came out fantastic – but I am sure it would have tasted great using non-organic products as well – I just felt so much better knowing that there were no pesticides or other chemicals in that filling – or would the 350 degree oven have killed them off anyway?

I found this recipe in Bon Appetit and thought the filling looked perfect – although I wanted a cookie crust, so I borrowed a recipe from my neighbors for theirs – and what a great combination.  The spice cookies with that pumpkin filling was a fall harmony in my mouth.

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/3 cup crushed Anna’s orange spiced cookies
• 2/3 cup crushed Petite Beurre cookies
• 1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 T unsalted butter
• 2 T sugar

Filling:

• 1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin
• 1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 2 large eggs

Spiced Cream:

• 3/4 cup chilled whipping cream
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 2 T sugar

Preparation

Pre-heat oven to 350.  Combine all crust ingredients in a food processor.  Press into a 9″ pie plate using the bottom of a glass.  Bake at 350F for 10 minutes.  Transfer pan to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Whisk pumpkin, condensed milk, sour cream, cinnamon, ginger, vanilla, and allspice in a large bowl to blend.  Whisk in eggs.  Pour into crust (there may be some filling left over).

Bake pie until filling is puffed around the slides and set in the center, about 55 minutes.  Cool pie on a rack.  (Can be makde ahead.  Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours, or cover and chill overnight.)

Beat whipping cream, cinnamon, ginger and sugar in a bowl intil peaks form.  Spoon large collops around the endge of the pie and serve.

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