Twitter Is Freaking Out Over This Clear Pumpkin Pie

Just when we thought the world had hit its pumpkin spice peak, a baffling new fall treat has sent the internet into a frenzy. Enter: clear pumpkin pie, a madcap creation from the chefs at

Alinea

What looks like gelatin poured into a pie crust is actually pumpkin pie that has been distilled into a totally transparent jello-like confection. Allegedly it tastes like real pumpkin and not pumpkin spice or pumpkin-flavored gelatin. (Yes, we’re still wrapping our minds around this one, too.)

The brainchild of executive chef Simon Davies, the crystal-clear Thanksgiving dessert is made using a rotary evaporator machine, which produces a liquid distillate of whatever flavor you’d like. “It is a distillation of pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, and clove. Texture is very important to us,” Davies wrote in a recent Instagram post. “This melts away. If it were over-gelled it would not be worth serving. The main texture that brings on nostalgia is from the pate brisee.” Plus there’s that extra-flaky crust and tiny dollop of whipped cream to savor.

The result is surrealist, as Davies himself describes. In fact, it’s so striking that it rivals his other inventive — and borderline ethereal — dishes like edible balloons, smoking fruit bowls, and olive “stones” at the forward-thinking eatery.

Not only has Davies transformed the original custardy pie into a social media sensation, but he’s also ruffled some feathers. In a matter of hours, Twitter users had a field day with this one, applauding and criticizing the chef’s see-through slice to no end.

In response to the flood of inquiries, Alinea has announced that this mind-boggling treat will be available for the rest of the fall season, so if you are going to be anywhere near Chicago you should probably snag a slice (and ‘gram it!) before it’s gone.