This is as much a serving idea as it is a recipe.
I purchased a mini cheesecake pan with twelve 1/3 cup portion removable bottoms.
I used my regular favorite pastry and rolled it thinner than I would normally for a pie.
When you line a straight sided pan with pastry you need to remember that as you fold the crust around the edges it will double in places.. . and therefore the crust must be rolled paper thin.
It was a bit tedious . ..but I surely will be making lots of little straight sided pies of all kinds.
- pastry for a double crust pie
- 1 - 14 oz or 398 ml can pure pumpkin
- 1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk or Dulce de leche (which is condensed milk that has been slowly cooked to a caramel color
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon cloves
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup whipping cream
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- Roll the pastry thin on a pastry mat. Cut out rounds. . .(you will need to experiment for your muffin or mini cheesecake pan on the size of your cutouts)
- Roll the cut out round paper thin (use additional flour to keep it from sticking and then use a bench scraper to carefully lift it)
- Fold the pastry dough into a parachute shaped and gently nudge it into your mini cheesecake tin. Use a small straight sided item. ..I used a flat lipstick tube to gently tap the bottom flat.
- Cut away the excess with a sharp knife and refrigerate the prepared pan until you are ready to fill it.
- Combine the remaining ingredients with a hand mixer on medium speed until well combined.
- Fill the mini cheesecake cups until nearly full.
- Bake in a preheated 375 F oven for about 45 minutes on the bottom rack. You do not want to under bake as your pastry will be pale and the little pie will be too soft.
- Cool for about 20 minutes and then carefully remove to a rack to cool completely.
I made these ahead of time. ..froze them and warmed them on a cookie sheet for about 15 minutes.
Serve with a spoon of whipped cream on the side.
This is enough batter to fill twelve 1/3 cup tins
