Make the traditional American favourite, best served with a dollop of cream.
Ingredients
- for the pastry:
- 8 oz plain flour
- 5 oz butter
- 1 oz icing sugar
- 1 egg
- for the filling:
- 1 Ib prepared fresh pumpkin flesh (cut into chunks or canned pumpkin puree)
- 1/2 pint double cream
- 2 oz butter
- 2 oz brown sugar
- 2 eggs lightly beaten
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp freshly ground ginger
- 1 tsp ground all spice
- 1 tsp natural vanilla extract
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/Gas 6.
- Place pumpkin in an ovenproof dish and bake for 30-45 minutes until soft and cooked through
- Whizz in a blender until smooth
- Place the flour, butter, icing and egg in a food processor and whiz until the mixture comes together
- Turn out onto a floured surface and roll out, then use to line a 9" flan tin
- Trim excess pastry from around the edge and reserve the trimmings
- Roll out the trimmings and use them to cut out leaf shapes
- Brush the edge of the pastry with water and stick the leaves to form a border the whole way around the edge of the tin
- As well as looking decorative these provide a little extra height and help to stop the filling from leaking during cooking
- Cover the pastry case with cling film and chill while you prepare the filling
- In a large bowl mix the pumpkin puree, and cream
- In a separate bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy
- Now beat in the eggs a little at a time
- Add the cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, allspice, vanilla extract and pumpkin mixture, stirring continuously
- Pour the filling into the pastry case until it reaches the edge of the pastry shapes
- Bake for 35-45 minutes until the filling is set and lightly browned
- If unable to get all the filling in at first, add a little more after the pie has been in the oven for about 15 minutes, when the filling has already started to set.
- Serve warm.
