Kabocha Pumpkin Pie with Hojicha Whippe Cream and Graham Cracker Crumble

based on Milk Bar's Caramel Pumpkin Pie

Have you seen Milk Bar’s pumpkin caramel pie? Instead of baking a pumpkin custard, they make a pumpkin ganache, which sounded so interesting to me so I had to try it out. Yet, I wanted to add a bit of a twist to it and something to balance out the sweetness of the ganache more; so I topped it with a hojjicha whipped cream to add the nice bitterness that roasted matcha provides. I also swapped the pumpkin puree with steamed kabocha, which is a japanese squash that I love and is naturally sweet! Overall, this pie was delicious!

You can find Milk Bar’s Hilly’s Pumpkin Caramel Pie here.

You don’t really taste the chocolate in the pie dough but I still added it to keep the color cohesive.

Make sure that the white chocolate that you use is real white chocolate. If you buy chocolate chips, they might not actually be real chocolate containing cocoa solids/butter but instead contain vegetable oils.

Ingredients
9-inch Pie Plate, Food Processor, Immersion Blender

Chocolate Pie Dough
1 cup (120 grams) AP flour
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) ice water

Kabocha Pumpkin Ganache
1 (1818 grams) kabocha squash, reduced to 500 grams puree
16 ounces white chocolate
1/4 cup (60 milliliters) heavy cream
1/3 cup (129 grams) scant corn syrup
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon all spice
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 teaspoon salt Graham

Cracker Crumble
5 (80 grams) graham crackers
3 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
4 teaspoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Hojicha Whipped Cream
1 3/4 cup(420 milliliters) heavy cream
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons hojicha powder
Small pinch of salt

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Directions

1. Chocolate Pie Dough 1
   -Add 1 cup flour, 2 tablespoons cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon salt to a bowl and whisk everything together. Then add 1/2 cup unsalted butter cut into cubes and smash the butter into the flour mixture with your fingers and hands. Do this until you have small pieces of butter throughout the dough. Then add 1/4 cup cold water and mix/knead the dough until it all combines. Cover with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for a minimum of an hour.

2. Kabocha Puree
   -Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F.
   -Wash and cut your kabocha into quarters. De-seed it, then cut into into smaller pieces. Fill a large pot with around 1-2 cups of water and place a steamer basket on top. Add your kabocha to the pot. My pot only fit half of the kabocha so I cooked it in two batches. Steam your kabocha over high heat covered with a lid for 15 minutes. It will become super smooth so that it can easily be pierced with a toothpick. Remove from heat and let the kabocha cool. Then use a knife to remove the skin from the kabocha. Place all of your kabocha into a food processor and puree until smooth.
   -Place your kabocha puree onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and smoothen it out into an even layer. Then bake the kabocha puree in the oven for ~30 minutes.
   -Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

3. Chocolate Pie Dough 2
   -Increase the oven to 350 degrees F.
   -Remove your pie dough from the refrigerator and roll it out into a large circle on a floured surface. Transfer your dough to a 9-inch pie plate, being careful not to stretch the dough but instead let it rest into the plate. Fold your edges under itself then crimp the edges with your thumb and fingers.
   -Chill your pie dough in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes to firm up. This will prevent more shrinkage during baking. Then cover your dough with aluminum foil or parchment paper and line with pie weights of choice. I use dried beans.
   -Bake the pie dough with weights for 30 minutes. Remove the weights and prick the dough with a fork a few times to get rid of puffing and air pockets. Then continue baking for 15-20 minutes more.
   -Once done baking, let the pie crust cool completely.

4. Graham Cracker Crumble
   -Lower the oven to 325 degrees F.
   -Break 5 graham crackers into a bowl. Crush it with a blunt object. It does not have to be finely ground. Then add 4 teaspoons sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Mix everything together. Add 3 tablespoons melted unsalted butter and once again combine. Then place your crumb mixture onto a baking sheet then pack and flatten it.
   -Bake for just 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool completely. Once cool, store it in an air-tight container for later use.

5. Kabocha Pumpkin Ganache
   -Add 16 ounces white chocolate into a bowl.
   -In a small pot, heat 1/4 cup heavy cream, 1/3 scant cup corn syrup, and 5 tablespoons unsalted butter over high heat until the butter completely melts and the liquid boils. Remove from heat and then add the hot liquid over the white chocolate. Cover the bowl and let it sit for 1 minute.
   -As the white chocolate sits, measure out 500 grams of the kabocha puree.
   -After 1 minutes, mix the white chocolate completely. It should be fully melted. Then add your kabocha puree along with 2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ginger, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg, and 3/4 teaspoon salt. Mix everything together then use an immersion blender to blend everything until smooth and silky.
   -Pour the pumpkin ganache into your cooled pie dough. Smoothen out the top then place in the refrigerator overnight to set.

6. Hojicha Whipped Cream
   -The next day, add 1 3/4 cups heavy cream to a bowl. Then add 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons hojicha and a small pinch of salt. Mix everything together on high with a hand mixer until you get whipped cream.
   -Top your pumpkin ganache with the hojicha whipped cream and smoothen it out with an offset spatula. Cover the cream with the graham cracker crumble (I don’t use all of it).

7. Enjoy!