Kate Collins's Blog, page 325
November 9, 2010
Indie Bookstore Signings
As an author, you know you're in trouble when:The bookseller forgets you're coming.The store doesn't have any of your books, orThey dig around in the storage room and produce some. This means they haven't done squat before you walked in.The posters and bag flyers you sent aren't anywhere in sight.There isn't a table set up or a chair and there aren't any available. You'll be standing with your books in your arms for two hours.They put another author by the door and set you up in the back room with the used stock.They want to know if you brought all your friends to buy books.You arrive for a Sunday signing in a downtown bookstore and everything else in town is closed for the day.The only employee in the store is a college kid who leaves you in charge while he goes out for pizza.Yup. It's all happened to me in the past.
But this time around with Buzz Off, the booksellers have been excited to meet me, they have my books displayed in the window and around the counter, they've sold them for several weeks before I arrived and will continue to promote them after I leave, they appreciate the promo I sent and even added their own touch, they talk me up.
Of course, even in the past I had really great signings with smart, savvy booksellers. But this time, every single one has been great. And it has nothing to do with me or my book. It's them.I really think the remaining indies are stepping up to the plate. The survivors, at this point, are going to make it the whole nine yards. You know the good ones when you meet them. They love books, readers, writers. Let's remember to help them out by buying books from them. Let's continue to support our indies!
November 8, 2010
Stealing. . . uh, Sharing Recipes
Thanksgiving is coming so I thought this was a great time to share one of my favorite holiday recipes--Gingersnap Cookies. I've been making them for my family and friends for years and years . . .
I told you that recipe was Aunt Helen's, NOT yours! She was making those cookies when I was a little girl.
Oh, hi, Kelly. . .I was just writing my post for Cozy Chicks and telling everyone that I was sharing a favorite cookie recipe.
Make sure you tell them you stole the recipe from my Aunt Helen.
Well, actually. . .I had the recipe before Aunt Helen. So I kind of gave it to her. Or, you. . .uhhhhhhh. . .
Excuse me?
It's kinda hard to explain. Forget I said anything. It's Aunt Helen's recipe. Absolutely.
That's better. And now that you have your own copy, I don't want you messing around my desk anymore. Got that?
Got it. No more messing around desk. (Whispering now) Brother. . .characters can get surly sometimes---
What was that?
Nothing. Nothing at all. Just muttering to myself. We novelists are weird, really weird. As this conversation illustrates.
You're definitely weird, all right. And too nosy to suit me. I've gotta get back to my accounts.
Bye bye. Okay, everyone. . (still whispering) here's the recipe below. Enjoy!
Aunt Helen's Gingersnaps
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 ½ sticks (3/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
¼ cup unsulphured molasses
2 Tablespoons freshly grated lemon peel
¼ to ½ cup granulated white sugar
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease cookie sheets. Mix flour, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Cream butter and brown sugar together in a medium bowl, mixing well for at least two minutes until well-blended, pale and fluffy, scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Beat in egg, then molasses and lemon peel until blended. Slowly add half the flour mixture, mixing with wooden spoon just until blended, then add remaining flour, mixing in well.
Cover bowl with plastic wrap and chill for 15 minutes. Then take out and roll rounded tablespoons of dough into 1 ¼ inch balls (approx.). Roll balls in granulated sugar and place 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets(s). Bake just until puffed and cookies look dry---anywhere from 9 minutes to 14 minutes, depending on your oven. (Do not overbake or cookies will become hard). Carefully remove with metal spatula to wire rack to cool. Makes approximately 32 cookies.
(These cookies are meant to be soft and chewy, not crispy. If you want them crispy, simply increase baking time, but watch carefully!)
November 7, 2010
An Amazing Book Signing
by Leann
I have done many book signings since my first book was published in 2004. Some of them were great and some too painful to even want to think about. But Thursday and Friday this past week I signed all my books at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. I was hesitant to accept the offer to sign because I have been to "festival" as it's called, many times as an admirer of all things art, quilt, fabric, thread or craft related and thus I knew what to expect--big time fatigue. More fatigue than I can handle right now. But because I love this event so much and because the vendor would be doing all the ordering, schlepping of books and money taking, I decided to accept. I'm glad I did.
This is the largest quilt festival in the world. I met people from Belgium, Germany, France, England and Brazil to name a few. I chatted with folks from all over the country. And I signed book after book after book. I signed constantly and though I wanted to get a look at the competition quilts in particular (because they absolutely blow me away) I never got the chance. I was too busy and by the end of each day too tired to do anything but walk to my car. Just to give you an idea, I gave away about 1000 bookmarks!
If what I heard is true from the attendees, those of us who are older are turning to e-readers at a very fast pace. We love our paper books, but we are downsizing for retirement or we have too many books and no where to put them. Another fascinating thing I learned is that moms of preteen girls buy cozies for their daughters. The lack of on-the-page sex, blood, profanity and gore appeals to both the moms and their daughters. This is a market I didn't know existed. Moms and daughters share their cozies--I even had a mother/daughter pair come and pick out books together, ones they would swap. And they love recipes and crafts and the adventures that our characters take them on. That was so refreshing to hear!
I also saw my next door neighbor--didn't know she was even going!--and a nurse I worked with for many years. And through the magic of Facebook, who else showed up but a guy I graduated from high school with. I won't tell you how many decades ago THAT was! His wife is a textile artist and that's why they'd come to the show. He stopped by to say hello and hear me sing. Yup. That's what he thought he'd read on Facebook--that I'd be singing, not signing. Now that would have been funny ... and a great disappointment to many.
How about you? What great fall festivals and shows and trips have you been to? Or are going to? Or even WISH you were attending?
I have done many book signings since my first book was published in 2004. Some of them were great and some too painful to even want to think about. But Thursday and Friday this past week I signed all my books at the International Quilt Festival in Houston. I was hesitant to accept the offer to sign because I have been to "festival" as it's called, many times as an admirer of all things art, quilt, fabric, thread or craft related and thus I knew what to expect--big time fatigue. More fatigue than I can handle right now. But because I love this event so much and because the vendor would be doing all the ordering, schlepping of books and money taking, I decided to accept. I'm glad I did.
This is the largest quilt festival in the world. I met people from Belgium, Germany, France, England and Brazil to name a few. I chatted with folks from all over the country. And I signed book after book after book. I signed constantly and though I wanted to get a look at the competition quilts in particular (because they absolutely blow me away) I never got the chance. I was too busy and by the end of each day too tired to do anything but walk to my car. Just to give you an idea, I gave away about 1000 bookmarks!
If what I heard is true from the attendees, those of us who are older are turning to e-readers at a very fast pace. We love our paper books, but we are downsizing for retirement or we have too many books and no where to put them. Another fascinating thing I learned is that moms of preteen girls buy cozies for their daughters. The lack of on-the-page sex, blood, profanity and gore appeals to both the moms and their daughters. This is a market I didn't know existed. Moms and daughters share their cozies--I even had a mother/daughter pair come and pick out books together, ones they would swap. And they love recipes and crafts and the adventures that our characters take them on. That was so refreshing to hear!
I also saw my next door neighbor--didn't know she was even going!--and a nurse I worked with for many years. And through the magic of Facebook, who else showed up but a guy I graduated from high school with. I won't tell you how many decades ago THAT was! His wife is a textile artist and that's why they'd come to the show. He stopped by to say hello and hear me sing. Yup. That's what he thought he'd read on Facebook--that I'd be singing, not signing. Now that would have been funny ... and a great disappointment to many.
How about you? What great fall festivals and shows and trips have you been to? Or are going to? Or even WISH you were attending?
November 6, 2010
Falling Back
By Lorna
Ah, it's time to Fall Back once again. Doesn't that sound nice? Fall back ... perhaps on a fluffy cloud, or into a mountain of whipped cream -- something nice and delightful.
NOT!
I must admit, I'm still not happy that they moved the seasonal time change to a week later in November, and moved it up by almost a month in April. Can't we just leave our clocks where they're supposed to be?
I don't know about you, but I think we must have 20 digital clocks lurking about the house, all in need of changing every November and April. (Okay, the one in the guest room never got changed last spring -- hey, it's all ready for tomorrow.) What a PITA!
What's worse is my temperamental grandfather clock. Springing forward is no problem, but if I want to change the time to an hour earlier, I either have to stop it for an hour (and since my Dad the watchmaker/clock fixer has passed, we've had a hard time getting it going again if we forget to wind it), or go through the Westminster Chimes eleven times to get to where we need to be. That gets tedious. (By the way, My Dad made the clock for me. It's it gorgeous?)
Then there're the clocks in the cars. Gotta make sure I have a toothpick handy for those.
How many clocks will you have to change?
Ah, it's time to Fall Back once again. Doesn't that sound nice? Fall back ... perhaps on a fluffy cloud, or into a mountain of whipped cream -- something nice and delightful.NOT!
I must admit, I'm still not happy that they moved the seasonal time change to a week later in November, and moved it up by almost a month in April. Can't we just leave our clocks where they're supposed to be?
I don't know about you, but I think we must have 20 digital clocks lurking about the house, all in need of changing every November and April. (Okay, the one in the guest room never got changed last spring -- hey, it's all ready for tomorrow.) What a PITA!
What's worse is my temperamental grandfather clock. Springing forward is no problem, but if I want to change the time to an hour earlier, I either have to stop it for an hour (and since my Dad the watchmaker/clock fixer has passed, we've had a hard time getting it going again if we forget to wind it), or go through the Westminster Chimes eleven times to get to where we need to be. That gets tedious. (By the way, My Dad made the clock for me. It's it gorgeous?)Then there're the clocks in the cars. Gotta make sure I have a toothpick handy for those.
How many clocks will you have to change?
November 5, 2010
Epigraphs, Anyone?
By Guest Blogger Leslie Wheeler
If you're wondering what on earth I'm writing about, a definition is probably in order. An epigraph—not to be confused with an epitaph, which goes on a tombstone, or an epigram, a wise, witty saying —is a quote that appears at the opening of a book. Webster's defines it as "a quotation set at the beginning of a literary work or a division of it to suggest its theme." The epigraphophiles of this world, including mystery authors, Jane Langton and Colin Dexter, aren't content to use them only at the beginning of their books, but at the beginning of every chapter. They do so, even though they know that while some readers will read every single epigraph, others will skip them completely. I use epigraphs because I believe they add something to the kind of mysteries I write, despite the hassles that can be involved.
I call my series "living history" mysteries, because although they take place in the present-day, they are set at historic sites, which enables me to weave in a lot of history. Epigraphs are part of this "weaving in" process. In my first mystery, MURDER AT PLIMOTH PLANTATION, for example, I was able to give the book "a nice historical flavor," in the words of one reviewer, by quoting from period sources like William Bradford's OF PLYMOUTH PLANTATION at the beginning of each chapter. I chose these quotations with care, because I wanted them to serve as a commentary on the action in each chapter. Some epigraphs were easy to find; others more difficult.
I used a more contemporary source for the epigraphs in my second book, MURDER AT GETTYSBURG, and here I ran into trouble. I'd fallen in love with the eloquent prose of Douglas Southall Freeman's 1930s, Pulitzer-Prize-winning, R.E. LEE, A BIOGRAPHY, when a friend read aloud from the book during my first visit to Gettysburg. And, Freeman's admiring portrait of Lee fit perfectly with the Confederate reenactors I was writing about. Yet, when I applied for permission to quote from Freeman, I discovered, to my horror, that the fee would be almost twice as much as the modest advance I'd received from my small-press publisher. Oops! First, I cut the quotations by half, then down to a quarter of the original number. This was a painful process, because it meant removing many lovely lines, and replacing them with less lovely ones from another book, whose small-press publisher gave me permission with no charge.
I faced a different problem with the epigraphs for my third book, MURDER AT SPOUTERS POINT. Because the book is set at a fictionalized version of Mystic Seaport, I decided to use lines from sea shanties, the rousing work songs that tell the often funny, often poignant tales of seamen's lives on both land and water during the Great Age of Sail. Again, I worked hard to find just the right lines for each chapter. In the "body drop" chapter, for example, I quoted from Lowlands Away, a haunting song of which there are several variations:
"I dreamed I saw my own true love,
His hair was wet, his eyes above.
I knew my love was drowned and dead,
He stood so still, no word he said."
Another song I drew upon for epigraphs is The Maid on the Shore, which I heard at a concert of sea music. Right away, I knew that the song with its plaintive refrain, "There's nothing she can find to comfort her mind, but to roam all alone on the shore, shore, shore," was the perfect "theme song" for one of my characters, an elusive homeless woman. My main character, Miranda, is as struck by the song as I was, when she hears it sung in an early chapter of the book. Thereafter, I used verses from Maid as epigraphs for chapters referencing the homeless woman.
Since many folk songs are in the public domain, I didn't expect any problems getting permission. What I didn't anticipate was the amount of detective work I'd have to do in order to locate the copyright holder of the main collection of sea shanties I used. An address from the publisher of this collection brought me to two friends of the late compiler and his widow, who was now the copyright holder. They assured me that the widow would be happy to give me permission, and that many of the songs were in the public domain anyway. Fine, I thought, and moved on to other things. Several months later, the rights person at my publisher reminded me that I still needed written permission. I got the widow's e-mail address from her friends, but it promptly bounced. Did they have another e-mail address, or a snail mail one? No. They did tell me that the widow had remarried and now went by another last name. Armed with this information, I spent several hours searching for her on the Internet, and finally tracked her down to a small seacoast town in Wales. Fingers crossed, I wrote her and about a week later, received a gracious reply granting me permission.
A happy ending, yes. But next time, I'll save myself a lot of headaches by making certain I can get permission BEFORE I select my epigraphs, or choose ones I know are either in the public domain, or for which I won't be charged a whopping fee. I'll continue to use epigraphs in my mysteries, because for me and for at least some of my readers, they're the frosting on the cake. I just hope I don't wind up with this epitaph on my tombstone: "She used too many epigraphs."
=============================
An award-winning author of books about American history and biographies, Leslie Wheeler now writes the Miranda Lewis "living history" mystery series, the most recent title of which is MURDER AT SPOUTERS POINT (October, 2010). Her short crime fiction has appeared in four anthologies published by Level Best Books, and she has recently become a contributing editor of the newest LLB anthology, THIN ICE (November, 2010). Leslie is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, serving as Speakers Bureau Coordinator for the New England Chapter. She divides her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts and a home in the Berkshires. 
If you're wondering what on earth I'm writing about, a definition is probably in order. An epigraph—not to be confused with an epitaph, which goes on a tombstone, or an epigram, a wise, witty saying —is a quote that appears at the opening of a book. Webster's defines it as "a quotation set at the beginning of a literary work or a division of it to suggest its theme." The epigraphophiles of this world, including mystery authors, Jane Langton and Colin Dexter, aren't content to use them only at the beginning of their books, but at the beginning of every chapter. They do so, even though they know that while some readers will read every single epigraph, others will skip them completely. I use epigraphs because I believe they add something to the kind of mysteries I write, despite the hassles that can be involved.I call my series "living history" mysteries, because although they take place in the present-day, they are set at historic sites, which enables me to weave in a lot of history. Epigraphs are part of this "weaving in" process. In my first mystery, MURDER AT PLIMOTH PLANTATION, for example, I was able to give the book "a nice historical flavor," in the words of one reviewer, by quoting from period sources like William Bradford's OF PLYMOUTH PLANTATION at the beginning of each chapter. I chose these quotations with care, because I wanted them to serve as a commentary on the action in each chapter. Some epigraphs were easy to find; others more difficult.
I used a more contemporary source for the epigraphs in my second book, MURDER AT GETTYSBURG, and here I ran into trouble. I'd fallen in love with the eloquent prose of Douglas Southall Freeman's 1930s, Pulitzer-Prize-winning, R.E. LEE, A BIOGRAPHY, when a friend read aloud from the book during my first visit to Gettysburg. And, Freeman's admiring portrait of Lee fit perfectly with the Confederate reenactors I was writing about. Yet, when I applied for permission to quote from Freeman, I discovered, to my horror, that the fee would be almost twice as much as the modest advance I'd received from my small-press publisher. Oops! First, I cut the quotations by half, then down to a quarter of the original number. This was a painful process, because it meant removing many lovely lines, and replacing them with less lovely ones from another book, whose small-press publisher gave me permission with no charge.
I faced a different problem with the epigraphs for my third book, MURDER AT SPOUTERS POINT. Because the book is set at a fictionalized version of Mystic Seaport, I decided to use lines from sea shanties, the rousing work songs that tell the often funny, often poignant tales of seamen's lives on both land and water during the Great Age of Sail. Again, I worked hard to find just the right lines for each chapter. In the "body drop" chapter, for example, I quoted from Lowlands Away, a haunting song of which there are several variations:"I dreamed I saw my own true love,
His hair was wet, his eyes above.
I knew my love was drowned and dead,
He stood so still, no word he said."
Another song I drew upon for epigraphs is The Maid on the Shore, which I heard at a concert of sea music. Right away, I knew that the song with its plaintive refrain, "There's nothing she can find to comfort her mind, but to roam all alone on the shore, shore, shore," was the perfect "theme song" for one of my characters, an elusive homeless woman. My main character, Miranda, is as struck by the song as I was, when she hears it sung in an early chapter of the book. Thereafter, I used verses from Maid as epigraphs for chapters referencing the homeless woman.
Since many folk songs are in the public domain, I didn't expect any problems getting permission. What I didn't anticipate was the amount of detective work I'd have to do in order to locate the copyright holder of the main collection of sea shanties I used. An address from the publisher of this collection brought me to two friends of the late compiler and his widow, who was now the copyright holder. They assured me that the widow would be happy to give me permission, and that many of the songs were in the public domain anyway. Fine, I thought, and moved on to other things. Several months later, the rights person at my publisher reminded me that I still needed written permission. I got the widow's e-mail address from her friends, but it promptly bounced. Did they have another e-mail address, or a snail mail one? No. They did tell me that the widow had remarried and now went by another last name. Armed with this information, I spent several hours searching for her on the Internet, and finally tracked her down to a small seacoast town in Wales. Fingers crossed, I wrote her and about a week later, received a gracious reply granting me permission.
A happy ending, yes. But next time, I'll save myself a lot of headaches by making certain I can get permission BEFORE I select my epigraphs, or choose ones I know are either in the public domain, or for which I won't be charged a whopping fee. I'll continue to use epigraphs in my mysteries, because for me and for at least some of my readers, they're the frosting on the cake. I just hope I don't wind up with this epitaph on my tombstone: "She used too many epigraphs."
=============================
An award-winning author of books about American history and biographies, Leslie Wheeler now writes the Miranda Lewis "living history" mystery series, the most recent title of which is MURDER AT SPOUTERS POINT (October, 2010). Her short crime fiction has appeared in four anthologies published by Level Best Books, and she has recently become a contributing editor of the newest LLB anthology, THIN ICE (November, 2010). Leslie is a member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime, serving as Speakers Bureau Coordinator for the New England Chapter. She divides her time between Cambridge, Massachusetts and a home in the Berkshires.
November 4, 2010
Making the Seasonal Transition
I'm a summer gal. I find winter too long, too cold, and too cloudy. This year, I am determined to remind myself that every season has gifts to offer.
November marks the transition from flip-flops and T-shirts to chilly weather,
bare trees, and excuses to turn the oven on.
Here are some of my favorite things about this in-between time:
Slipper socks. Need I say more?
I can now wear this shawl. (Handmade by the wonderful cozy mystery supporter, Mare Fairchild)
Cats on the lap during marathon reading sessions.Fires. (This one's in my kitchen and, believe it or not, is not happening on the stove or in the oven - LOL!)
Reasons to make pumpkin bread (made this one today), cookies, and pot roasts.
What do you love best about this transitional time? Any favorite cold weather items?
November 2, 2010
Lefties Unite!
I don't know if you've noticed, but more of us are left-handed these days. When I was growing up, I rarely met others like me. Now if I'm at a dinner party, several of us are jostling for table position. And while researchers look for an inherited gene, I'm here to tell you that the phenomenon isn't genetic. No one else in my family as far back as my parents can remember is left-handed. My three kids aren't either. When I chat with other left-handed people, they don't have other family members that are same-handed.There's no question in my mind, though, that lefties have different brains. We are wired differently. We have more schizophrenia, alcoholism, dyslexia, and autism than right-handers.
On the other "hand", we produce more creativity – music, novels, architecture, scientific discoveries. Are we quieter, more introspective than our fellow right-handers? Do we spend more time observing than acting? I'm not sure. Maybe.
I'd love it if you'd weigh in on this topic. Are you a leftie? Are you shyer, more reserved than your right-handed friends, more likely to sit in the back row? How about your family? Any other lefties?
October Gift Card Winner
Congratulations to
LINDA LESZCZUK
, this month's B&N gift card winner! Please send an email to uperbaker@wi.rr.com with your email address to claim your electronic gift card from B&N.com.
Thanks so much for your comments and for supporting all of us here at the Cozy Chicks blog!
November 1, 2010
New Release! DOUBLE KNIT MURDERS
Announcing: The first two Kelly Flynn Knitting Mysteries are now available in trade paperback! This new edition, available in bookstores and online November 2nd, is entitled DOUBLE KNIT MURDERS and contains both KNIT ONE, KILL TWO and NEEDLED TO DEATH in one book. I'm really, really excited about this new addition to the Kelly Flynn books.
As of now, Kelly and the gang appear in hardcover every year as a new release and in mass market paperback the following year. This past August, KNIT ONE, KILL TWO became available in downloadable audio form. And, of course, each new release is also available as an e-book and in a large print version shortly after publishing. So, it will be interesting to see how this new format will fare in the marketplace.
I did get a glimpse of DOUBLE KNIT MURDERS' appeal when I appeared last week at the huge knitting expo in Hartford, CT, called
STITCHES EAST. I was invited to sign at Gene Ann's Yarns vendor booth in the marketplace exhibition hall. Gene Ann had brought a variety of my recent Kelly Flynn releases from her shop in Barrington, IL, plus a large shipment of the newly-released trade paperback.Gene Ann and I were shocked how fast the copies of DOUBLE KNIT MURDERS sold out. It appears that new readers thought the two-books-in-one edition was a great way to start the mystery series. Other readers bought them as upcoming holiday gifts.
I was delighted that DOUBLE KNIT MURDERS had a successful debut. And---I had a blast at STITCHES EAST. I met so many wonderful people as I signed and as I wandered through the aisles, indulging myself in all the luscious yarns and other tempting creations vendors had for display. I will definitely have to visit another STITCHES event!
Have you ever attended an expo filled with vendors and tempting displays? Share with us.
October 31, 2010
A Happy Accident
Last month, my family celebrated Canadian Thanksgiving, which falls on the first Monday of October, almost two months before the American holiday. We indulged in a delicious meal of stuffed turkey, cranberry chutney, mashed potatoes, broccoli casserole, and green beans. As delectable as all that was, in our family, the favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner is the pumpkin pie we make for dessert.
When I was a young housewife, I used the recipe that was printed on the label of the can of pumpkin puree. It was tasty enough. One year, however, my sister found a recipe that produced, by far, the best pumpkin pie we'd ever eaten. It was spicy, rich and creamy, yet light enough to not overwhelm after a heavy meal. Its creaminess is due to a secret ingredient.
My daughter, who married last year, has made the pie frequently for various potlucks and dinners, always receiving rave reviews about its creaminess. It was not until we were baking it together last week that we realized a mix-up in her reading of the recipe resulted in an even better pumpkin pie. The confusion was about the amount of the secret ingredient.
"Why did you cut the cream cheese slab in half?" she asked as we were prepping our ingredients.
"Because we only need four ounces, not eight."
Perplexed, she checked the cream cheese wrapper, then the recipe. Mild surprise reflected in her eyes, then she smiled.
"No wonder my pumpkin pie is so extra creamy."
Indeed.
Among all that I am thankful for (and there's a lot!), is the fact that my daughter misread a recipe.
Creamy Pumpkin Pie Pie Crust
1½ cups flour
¼ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cubed
1 egg yolk
1 tsp lemon juice or vinegar
Ice water
Filling
1 can pumpkin puree (14 oz) not pumpkin-pie filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 pkg. cream cheese, softened (8 oz)
½ cup whipping cream
2 eggs
1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp each cinnamon and vanilla
½ tsp each ground ginger, nutmeg and salt
Topping
Whipped cream
Sugar to taste
Crust:
In bowl, mix flour with salt. Using pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture is in fine crumbs with a few larger pieces. In liquid measure, beat egg yolk with lemon juice, mix in enough ice water to make ⅓ cup. Drizzle over dry ingredients, stirring briskly with fork to form ragged dough. Press into disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
On lightly floured surface, roll out pastry to ⅛-inch thickness. Fit into 9-inch pie plate. Trim edge to leave ¾-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and flute edge. Prick with a fork.
Line the pastry shell with foil; fill evenly with pie weights or dried beans. Bake in bottom third of 375 F oven for 15 minutes; remove weights and foil. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes longer or until pastry just starts to turn golden.
Filling:
Meanwhile in food processor or blender, puree together pumpkin, sugar, cream cheese, whipping cream, eggs, flour, cinnamon, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Pour into pie shell; bake in bottom third of 350 F oven for 1 hour or until set around edge and slightly jiggly in center. Let cool on rack.
(Make-ahead: Cover and refrigerate for up to 8 hours)
Topping
Whip cream with sugar to taste. Pipe or spoon on top of pie before serving.
