Julia Child's Pumpkin Pie Gets Its Airy Texture From One Extra Step

Culinary icon Julia Child is warmly remembered for her many contributions to the cooking world, including her wildly successful public television cooking show and the timeless "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" books. French cooking was her specialty, and Child made it approachable for American home cooks. But she also had many excellent recipes and tips on dishes that aren't necessarily from France. One that stands out is her version of an American staple, pumpkin pie. She achieved its glorious, mousse-like texture by folding in whipped egg whites right before baking.

Child included the Fluffy Pumpkin Pie recipe in her 1989 book, "The Way to Cook," in which she described the dessert: "It's a pumpkin souffle in a pie crust." She instructs readers to separate four eggs and blend the yolks into a mixture with canned pumpkin and several other ingredients. Separately, beat the egg whites just to the point that when you lift the whisk or beaters, stiff peaks form and hold without the tips bending. The beater incorporates air into the protein, causing it to denature, or lose its shape. Then gently fold the beaten egg whites into the pumpkin mixture to take on a light, foamy structure that should ultimately result in a fluffy pumpkin pie.

Incorporating whipped egg whites into her pumpkin pie base wasn't Julia Child's only secret when it came to her fluffy, dreamy pie. She also recommended gradually decreasing the oven temperature in about 15-minute increments as the pie bakes — starting at 450 degrees Fahrenheit and ending at 350 degrees Fahrenheit — and letting the pie slowly cool in the oven, door slightly ajar. The high temperature gives the butter in the crust a blast of heat, which produces a flaky texture and a beautiful, golden color. Although the heat is great for the crust, it's not so great for the pumpkin custard filling.

Baking a pumpkin pie at a steady high heat will cause the eggs in the mixture to coagulate and curdle, giving the pie a lumpy, unpleasant texture, essentially undoing all your hard work separating and whipping the egg whites. Lowering the temperature after about 15 minutes, as Child recommends, prevents that backslide. Instead, the filling cooks gently, and the custard remains smooth, silky, and light. 

Part of why we love Child's egg-whites tip is that home cooks can replicate it in just about any pumpkin pie recipe. Simply separate the eggs – however many the recipe calls for – and use the yolks first with the rest of the ingredients. Whip the whites and fold them in last. Be sure to watch that oven temperature as well.