Food Network is extending its brand — and its reach — with Food Network Magazine. The premiere issue is being released today, Oct. 14. Six issues are planned for 2009.

The cover proclaims “Cook Like a Star!” with photos of Paula (Deen), Tyler (Florence) and Ina (Garten). (The last names are not mentioned — presumably, the target audience is on a first-name basis with the network’s best-known hosts.) It also promises “128 new recipes from your favorite chefs.” Those run the gamut from Slim Six-Layer Dip to Grilled Pork With Arugula-and-Grape Salad to Fall Vegetable Cobbler to Sparkling Ginger Cider.

Inside, you’ll find 148 color pages with recipes, restaurant news, factoids and nutrition features. As you might expect from a Hearst magazine (publisher of Good Housekeeping, among other titles), the recipes are appealing and the photography is enticing. A nifty two-page index shows thumbnail color photos of each recipe.

Here’s one of those recipes, which also is pictured on the cover. The topping includes amaretti cookies, which are almond cookies. They are sold in Italian stores, including the groceries on The Hill in St. Louis. Preheating a baking sheet on the bottom oven shelf, then placing the pie on the hot baking sheet, helps ensure that the bottom crust bakes through without overcooking the filling.

Tyler’s Ultimate Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

For crust:

2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting

5 teaspoons sugar

Salt

12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Ice water

For filling and topping:

1 15-ounce can pure pumpkin

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

Salt

3 large eggs, plus 1 egg white

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 cup pecans

1 cup fresh cranberries or frozen cranberries, thawed and drained

1 2.3-ounce package amaretti cookies (about 12)

1. Make the crust. Combine flour, sugar and a pinch of salt in a large bowl. Mix in cold butter with a pastry blender or your hands until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Work in 3 tablespoons ice water until the dough holds together without being too sticky. If it’s still crumbly, add more ice water, 1 teaspoon at a time. Form into a ball, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. On a floured surface, roll out the dough into an 11- to 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Ease into a 9-inch pie pan; press firmly into the bottom and sides. Trim the excess dough, then pinch the edges. Refrigerate until ready to fill.

3. Place a baking sheet on the bottom oven rack and preheat to 375 degrees. Make the filling: Whisk the pumpkin in  a bowl with the butter and a pinch of salt. Whisk in 3 whole eggs and sugar. Stir in cream, cinnamon and nutmeg. Pour mixture into pie shell. Lightly beat the egg white, then brush onto the pastry edges. Carefully place the pie on the preheated baking sheet, lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees, and bake until the pie is set but still jiggles slightly, about 50 minutes. Let cool completely.

4. While pie cools, make the topping. Toast the pecans on a baking sheet in the oven for about 10 minutes; cool. With a knife or food processor, coarsely chop the pecans, cranberries and cookies; sprinkle over the cooled pie.

Recipe courtesy of Food Network Magazine.