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This trifle consists of four components: pie crust pieces, candied pecans, pumpkin mousse and vanilla bean cream. While the recipe is quite simple to prepare, some ingredients need to be prepped a day in advance.
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For the pie crust:
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Use your favorite pastry recipe (enough for 2 crusts) and bake according to your recipe but on baking sheets in flat rectangles. When done remove them from the oven and allow to cool then coarsely chop. Or use two frozen pie crusts, baked according to package directions and then coarsely chop them.
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For the candied pecans:
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Preheat oven to 275 F. In a medium sized bowl toss nuts with butter, sugar and spice until well coated. Spread onto a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 20-30 minutes until toasted, stirring occasionally. Remove from oven and set on a rack. Cool completely before assembling trifle. Break them up before assembling the trifle.
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For the pumpkin mousse:
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On the day before assembling trifle, combine pumpkin puree, 1 1/2 cups cream, brown sugar and spice in a saucepan and simmer over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Caution, this is a thick mixture that will splatter everywhere if not watched carefully. Remove from heat, pour into a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, pressed right against the mixture and chill overnight.
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Note: To make your own homemade pumpkin puree (recommended), simply cut 2 small pie pumpkins in half. Scoop out seeds and stringy mess (reserve the seeds for roasting and snacking if you like). Place pumpkins in a roasting pan with the bottom barely covered with water. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 F for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely. When pumpkin is completely cooled, scoop flesh out of peel and press through a sieve to get a smooth consistency. Extra pumpkin can be used in pies, baking, soup etc.
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For the vanilla bean cream and garnish:
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The night before: Pour remaining cream into the bowl of a stand mixer. Split the vanilla beans in half lengthwise and scrape seeds from vanilla beans into the cream. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
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On day of assembly, combine cream cheese, granulated sugar and vanilla extract in a small mixing bowl and beat with electric beaters until smooth and creamy.
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In the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment, whip cream with vanilla seeds and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form. Remove one cup for garnish and set aside. Add cream cheese mixture into the big bowl of whipped cream and whip until fully combined and smooth. Remove it from the bowl to another bowl.
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After the cream layer has been whipped and removed from mixing bowl, add pumpkin mixture to bowl and whip until thick. You do not have to clean the whisk or bowl beforehand. It's okay if some of the cream layer incorporates into the pumpkin.
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To assemble trifle:
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In a trifle bowl, layer ingredients beginning with 1/3 of the chunks of pie crust and 1/3 of the scattered broken pecans over that (make sure to reserve 3 whole pecans for garnish). Top with 1/3 of pumpkin mousse. Top with 1/3 of vanilla bean cream. Repeat the layers two more times finishing with a layer of vanilla bean cream. Spread a thin layer of the reserved whipped cream on top. Place the remaining whipped cream into a piping bag and decorate top as desired, using pecans and a sprinkling of pumpkin pie spice to garnish.
