It's not me, it's him

I've been completely useless in the kitchen this month. One day I did manage Kraft macaroni & cheese -- but that nearly went sideways when I put the knife in the refrigerator and came this close to putting the butter in the dishwasher.

Luckily, my awesome husband has picked up the slack, whipping up things like carne asada tacos, guacamole burgers (with homemade guacamole, natch), and pizza from scratch. He's also going to handle Thanksgiving, putting the turkey in the oven at 2 a.m. so we can eat when I get home from work.

As part of that holiday menu, he's going to make what I think will become a regular Thanksgiving dish in our house. It combines all the things you want in that day's dessert: a little pumpkin, a little chocolate, and a nutty meringue to impress your guests. And to make it even better, it's his own creation.

I give you: Troublesmith's Fall Pie.

YOU WILL NEED:
1 prebaked pie crust
1-2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1 large egg white
1/6 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1/6 cup packed brown sugar
3/8 tsp. salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
3/4 cups heavy cream
1 cup cooked pumpkin puree
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted & slightly cooled
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. grated or ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, almonds, pecans or other nut

DO THIS:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees

Prepare pumpkin batter: In large bowl, whisk large eggs until smooth.
Add pumpkin, cream, 1/4 cup sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, cloves and 1/4 tsp. salt. Mix thoroughly.

Pour pumpkin batter into prepared pie crust

Prepare fudge batter: In separate, large bowl, cream butter with remaining sugar. Beat in egg yolks & melted chocolate. Beat in flour and vanilla. Stir in nuts.

In separate, medium bowl, whip egg whites and 1/8 tsp. salt until stiff but not dry. Fold egg whites into fudge batter.

Bake pie crust with pumpkin batter for 15-20 minutes, until batter has firmed a bit. Remove from oven.

Gently transfer fudge batter to top of pumpkin batter with broad spatula. Gently smooth top. Return pie to oven.

Reduce oven temp to 325 degrees. Bake 25-35 minutes.