Head in the Clouds...
Pumpkin Pie with a short crust pastry, served with mascarpone
My first experience of eating Pumpkin Pie was one afternoon, many years ago, during monsoon season In Trinidad. My sister’s then pregnant neighbour Sabina (she now has a daughter named after yours truly) had a craving for the festive American dessert and invited us to share the pie with her. She had made it without a crust and cut it into cubes, which we ate like coconut ice. The smooth, creamy texture and the caramel sweetness, together with the spicy flavour of cinnamon and nutmeg delighted my taste buds and my tummy and I’ve been a pumpkin pie aficionado since.
I don’t think my pumpkin pies will ever be as good as that one Sabina made, but I think I’ve adapted a recipe that works well for me and tastes delicious nonetheless. I would love to be putting together a pumpkin pie mix right now, but as I’m a little poorly, I’m going to share my recipe with you instead in hope that somebody will make a pie for me (kidding! Okay, not really).
So here are the ingredients you’ll need:
1. A vibrant orange medium sized pie pumpkin (they look like the pumpkins you’d use to make lanterns, but smaller and sweeter) – the pumpkin mixture will require about 700ml of pumpkin.
2. 200g dark brown or muscavado sugar. I sometimes use half the sugar and half maple syrup.
3. 2 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
4. ½ tsp ground cloves
5. 1 tsp ground mixed spices
6. 1 tsp ground ginger
7. 4 large eggs
8. 100ml evaporated milk
Pie Pumpkin with insides scooped out
Preparing the Pumpkin Mixture
This is no easy feat. I love pumpkins and squashes, but they are a pain in the rear to prepare. So make sure you have a decent serrated knife or a domestic saw to avoid frustration and injury (I learned the hard way). If you’re thinking you’d be better off using a can of store bought pumpkin, you are wrong. Stick with the pumpkin; you won’t be disappointed!
Wash and dry the exterior of the pumpkin and cut it in half (use a slow sawing movement to cut through). Scoop out all the pumpkin seeds and the stringy bits which you do not want in your pie! I find using a rounded spoon and scraping the insides works well. Once the insides are clear of any unwanted bits, cut each half into two, so you now have four pieces.
There are a number of methods that can be used to cook the pumpkin; my preferred methods are baking and microwaving. To microwave your pumpkin, place the pieces of pumpkin skin down in a microwaveable dish, making sure there’s no overlap. Add a couple of inches of water to the dish and place in the microwave. Set the microwave to a high temperature and microwave for 20 minutes, then 15 minutes, then 10 minutes. The flesh of the pumpkin should now be soft enough to scoop out (but if it isn’t, microwave for another 5 minutes).
If you’re baking the pumpkin, place the pumpkin pieces skin side down in an oven-proof dish. Add a couple of inches of water and cover before placing it into the oven. Bake the pumpkin on a 165 degree heat for 50-60 minutes. Check the pumpkin periodically to see if it is cooked by pricking it with a fork.
While the cooked pumpkin cools, make the pastry.
Ingredients for a sweet short crust pastry
1. 175g butter, cubed and cold
2. 50g icing sugar
3. 250g plain flour
4. 1 tsp cinnamon
5. Zest of 1 orange
6. 1 large egg
7. a little milk
Sieve the flour, icing sugar and cinnamon into a mixing bowl, or a clean dry surface. Add the butter and rub into the dry mixture to form a bread-crumb like texture. Stir in the orange zest, then the eggs and the splash of milk and work and gently work it together to form a ball of dough. Now flour the dough and lightly wrap in cling film before placing it in the fridge for about an hour.
Once the pumpkin has cooled, scoop it out of the skin. This should be fairly easy. If it isn’t, you may want to cook the pumpkin for a little longer. Once all the pumpkin flesh has been scooped out, use a hand blender to blitz it until it’s smooth. I’m a little pedantic about grainy pie mixtures, so I tend to put the blended pumpkin through a sieve next, but you don’t have to.
Next, simply add the sugar and spices, eggs and evaporated milk and again, blitz with the blender until smooth (if you have a food processor, I’m sure that would work just as well).
Remove your pastry from the fridge and place on a floured surface. Flour your rolling pin and roll it out into the shape of your pie dish. Place the pastry into the pie dish, making sure it covers all the sides. Trim the edges if you need to and prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork. Brush the edges of the pastry with egg wash, then pour in your pumpkin mixture. Your pie is now ready to be baked!
Bake the pumpkin pie in the middle of the oven on 200 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes, then reduce the heat to 175 degrees Celsius for 50 – 60 minutes. You’ll know if the pie is done when a skewer or palette knife comes out clean when inserted into the centre.
Pumpkin Pie with a short crust pastry
Phew! Now that you pumpkin pie is ready, make yourself a cup of tea or coffee (freshly brewed coffee with pumpkin pie is especially good), cut yourself a generous piece of pie, add a scoop of vanilla ice-cream, some crème fraiche or mascarpone, put your feet up and enjoy!
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