Baskin-Robbins Pumpkin Pie

At one point during the past week, somewhere on the roads between hospitals in Kerrville and far north Houston where we've been visiting relatives who are ill, I noticed that Baskin-Robbins had changed their logo.

While I'm not overly fond of the new look, they get points for even standing out at all amidst the jillions of other signs in the retail glut that is Texas. (We have the space to build duplicate stores and restaurants every 2.5 miles and so we do. For me, it's definitely a love/hate thing.)

Seeing the sign triggered thoughts of ice cream cakes and ice cream pies, and so I got to looking around to see if I had a recipe booklet from Baskin-Robbins.


Sure enough, I found one. The Baskin-Robbins Ice Cream Show-Off (1973, 24 pp) is a booklet containing 47 prize-winning recipes from a Baskin-Robbins-sponsored recipe contest with the same name.

The only evidence of the Baskin-Robbins logo in this publication is on the front cover, where it appears they took part of the old logo and added a prize-ribbon streamer tail to it, sort of a play on prize-winning recipes I guess.

The photograph on the front cover shows the Grand Prize winning recipe -- Heavenly Ice Cream Puff Fondue. This recipe was submitted by Laurie H. Freedman of Brooklyn, New York. The names and locations of the winning recipe contestants are shown at the end of every recipe.

The interior pages are printed on pink paper, a reflection of the familiar old company logo colors. The rear of the booklet is stamped with the name and address of one of the franchise stores (#543 in Rockford, Illinois in this case). Perhaps they were giving these booklets away as a promotional item at the individual stores.

Since we're still deep into the Christmas holiday season, I thought I'd share the following recipe from the booklet which seems fitting. This winning recipe was created by Susan T. Burtch of Richmond, Virgina.

PUMPKIN PECAN PARTY PIE

There are, of course, traditionalists among us pumpkin pie eaters. However, holiday dinners and special parties the year around call for a super special pumpkin pie. Here it is, and the grand point of difference is a Butter Pecan Ice Cream "crust".

1-1/2 quarts Baskin-Robbins Butter Pecan Ice Cream
1 cup sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon each ginger, nutmeg, salt
1 cup whipping cream, whipped
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup chopped pecans

(Thirty minutes before preparing Ice Cream crust, put a deep 9-inch pie pan in freezer.) To make crust: Working quickly, line bottom and sides of frozen pan with Ice Cream. Do not put Ice Cream on edges of pan. Build up crust 1/2 inch above edge of pan by overlapping tablespoons of Ice Cream. Freeze at least 2 hours. Combine sugar, pumpkin, spices and salt in a saucepan; cook over low heat for 3 minutes. Cool. Reserve 1/4 cup whipped cream for garnish. Fold remaining whipped cream into pumpkin mixture. Spoon into frozen Ice Cream crust, swirling top. Freeze at least 2 hours. In small saucepan over medium heat, combine brown sugar, butter and water. Bring just to a boil, cook 1-1/2 minutes, remove from heat, stir in pecans. Cool. Spoon mixture around edge between filling and crust. Mound the 1/4 cup of reserved whipped cream in center. Freeze. Let mellow for 10 minutes in refrigerator; cut in wedges.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Old Fashioned Butter Pecan is one of the Permanent Flavors at Baskin Robbins so you shouldn't have any trouble finding it. The photo of the finished pie was shown on the rear cover of the recipe booklet.