For A Richer Pumpkin Pie, Try Bobby Flay's Simple Brown Sugar Twist

It's not fall until I've had a slice of pumpkin pie. The rich, pumpkin custard-based dessert has delighted Americans for centuries (yes, centuries). Not just that, but pumpkin spice, one of the most iconic seasoning combinations, comes from its use in this treat. Your family probably has its own recipe for pumpkin pie, and you can find plenty more online, but for a perfect, super-rich pie, there's only one chef you need to consult: Bobby Flay.

The Food Network star, chef, and restaurateur is best known for more savory dishes (he's a fan of budget-friendly skirt steak, for instance). However, he has quite a bit of sage advice for home bakers, and his pumpkin pie recipe is proof. Flay, whose recipe was exhibited in an episode of Food Network's "Throwdown with Bobby Flay," makes a few crucial changes to the classic dessert, including one that's key to a more lush pie: using half brown and half white sugar, instead of only using white. The added brown sugar gives a caramel-tinged taste that's thanks to the molasses in the brown sugar. If you want a more intense taste of molasses, use dark brown sugar, which brings a slightly smoky hint to your pie. If you only want a hint of flavor, go for light brown sugar.

Adding brown sugar to the pumpkin custard isn't the only twist Bobby Flay puts on his pumpkin pie. He also uses a graham cracker crust, rather than the more traditional pastry shell. While either crust makes for a lovely pie, a graham cracker crust is particularly suited for a brown sugar filling because the toasty taste of graham cracker perfectly complements the warm flavor of brown sugar. To further bring these two aspects together, use brown sugar for your graham cracker crust as well. You can further add to, adjust, or negate these tweaks to formulate your perfect pie; for example, use brown butter instead of plain melted butter to give further toasty, complex flavor.

If you want even more brown sugar flavor, you can fully swap your white sugar for brown sugar in your custard. This goes beautifully with the bourbon and maple syrup whipped topping that Flay uses on his pie. If you're not a fan of whipped topping, you can always add a meringue and give it a nice toast for a slightly burnt touch that works well with both graham crust (think classic s'mores) and brown sugar.