Michael Symon, the grinning, shiny-pated genie of so many reality-food shows, hardly needs an introduction. This September, he returned to bookshelves with his eighth cookbook to date — “Simply Symon Suppers,” coauthored by Douglas Trattner, which is a compendium of 165 recipes celebrating the time-honored formula of one simple main plus a couple killer sides.
The book is structured around the seasons, so in spring you’ll find Pan-Roasted Pork Chops with Spring Onion Gravy and a Shaved Spring Onion Salad, and in the summer a Grilled Lobster with Lime-Jalapeno Butter and Spicy Old Bay Corn on the Cob. For autumn, home cooks seeking a twist on Thanksgiving pumpkin pie might try out his decadent Chocolate Pumpkin Pie.
“If a flourless chocolate cake and a classic pumpkin pie had a love child, it would be this silky, sinful dessert,” writes Symon. “I made a version of it for Thanksgiving during the second season of (ABC’s) ‘The Chew,’ and it absolutely blew up on my social media pages. You can cheat a little by using a store-bought crust.”
Chocolate Pumpkin Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie
INGREDIENTS
1¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 to 4 tablespoons ice-cold water
6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
DIRECTIONS
Make the pie crust: In a food processor, combine the flour, butter, salt and granulated sugar and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse sand with small marbles of butter remaining. Sprinkle in 2 tablespoons of ice water and pulse until crumbly and the dough holds together when squeezed. If the dough appears too dry, sprinkle in another tablespoon or two of cold water, being careful to not overmix the dough. Transfer the dough to a plastic bag, press into the shape of a disc and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to a 12-inch round. Carefully press the dough into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the dough to leave a 1-inch overhang all around. Flute or fold under the excess dough. Fit a large piece of parchment paper into the pie shell and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to the oven and bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. Leave the oven on but reduce the temperature to 325 degrees.
Make the filling: In the top of a double boiler set over medium-low heat, combine the semisweet chocolate, bittersweet chocolate and butter. Cook, stirring frequently, until melted and smooth. Remove from the heat.
In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg and cloves and stir to combine. Fold in the melted chocolate.
Place the pie pan on a baking sheet, pour the filling into the pie crust, and bake until the filling is set, about 1 hour. Refrigerate until cooled completely before serving.
— From “Simply Symon Suppers,” copyright © 2023 by Michael Symon. Photographs copyright © 2023 by Ed Anderson. Published by Clarkson Potter, an imprint of Random House, $35.
