Recipes
Roasted Apple Pies in Pumpkin Shells
This dessert truly celebrates the bounty of autumn by combining two of the season’s iconic harvests — pumpkins and apples — into an creative dish your family and guests will long remember. Guests can eat a little pumpkin with each bite, bringing together a great flavor combination with the spices, apples and pecans.
Serves 6
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup light-brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 6 sugar pie pumpkins, about 1 pound each, scrubbed clean
- 6 Braeburn apples, cored and sliced in eighths
- 1/2 cup pecan halves
Directions
Prepare the grill for indirect cooking at 400°F.
Beat the eggs in a large bowl. Whisk in the vanilla, brown sugar, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Add the flour and combine until smooth.
Cut the top third or a little more off each pumpkin. Angle downward with the knife so that the cut is tapered to the middle and the tops will easily center on the pumpkins later. Hollow out the pumpkins, removing all the seeds and pulp.
Layer the apples and pecans inside the pumpkins and then drizzle the egg mixture equally into each pie. The apples can extend above the rims, but the egg mixture should not fill the shell beyond 2/3rds.
Place the tops on the pies and transfer them to the indirect cooking zone. Roast with the hood closed for 20 minutes, then remove the tops and set them on the grill grate next to the pies in the coolest part of the indirect zone. After 30 minutes total cooking time, rotate the pies for even cooking. After 40 minutes total cooking time, remove the pumpkin lids from the grill and reserve. After 60 minutes total cooking time, the pumpkin shells should be tender and the apple pie filling cooked through. Remove from the grill and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.
Note: This recipe is even better cooked with a little apple wood smoke. Also, 6 pies require a sizable indirect cooking zone. A K900 can handle them, but some grills are not large enough.