Pumpkin Pie

Adapted from Jane Price’s ‘Kitchen Classics: Pastries and Breads’, this recipe was merely a tasty way to dispose of a surplus of pumpkin. And it has cinnamon in it, so little more reason was needed.

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Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients

Filling

• 500g of Pumpkin (Chopped into small chunks)
• 2 Eggs (Lightly beaten)
• 140g of Soft Brown Sugar
• 80ml of Whipping Cream
• 1 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon of Freshly Grated Nutmeg
• ½ teaspoon Ground Ginger

Pastry

• 150g of Cake Flour
• 100g of Unsalted Butter (Cubed)
• 2 teaspoons of Castor Sugar
• 80ml of Iced Water
• 1 Egg Yolk (Lightly beaten, to glaze)
• 1 tablespoon of Milk (to glaze)

Method

Steam or boil the pumpkin for 10 minutes, or until tender. Drain and mash the pumpkin and set it aside to cool.

To make the pastry, sift the flour into a large bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs.

Stir in the castor sugar. Make a well in the centre and add almost all the water. Mix it together using a flat bladed knife and a cutting action until it forms beads. Add the remaining water if the dough is too dry.

Lightly grease a 23cm circular pie dish. Gather the beads into a ball and press it evenly into the pie dish, covering the base and sides. Trim off the excess and crimp the edges. Roll out the trimmings to about 2mm and cut into leaf shapes. Refrigerate the pastry-lined dish and leaves for 20 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Cut baking paper to cover the dish and spread uncooked rice over this. Bake for 10 minutes, remove the paper and rice and cook for another 10 minutes or until lightly golden. Meanwhile, place the leaves on a baking tray lined with baking paper, brush with the combined milk and egg mix and bake for 10-15 minutes or until lightly golden. Set aside to cool.

To make the filling, whish the eggs and brown sugar in a large bowl. Add the cooled mashed pumpkin, cream, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger, and stir to combine thoroughly. Pour the filling into the pastry shell, smooth the surface and bake for another 40 minutes, or until set. If the pastry edges begin to brown too much during baking, cover the edges with foil. Allow the pie to cool to room temperature and decorate the top with the leaves.

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