Happy Thanksgiving!

My dad is over in the states celebrating Thanksgiving with our American family this week. And although its not a date to celebrate in the UK, I couldn’t help my self and had to make a pumpkin pie, nonetheless!

One of the crops that I had most looked forward to from my garden this year were indeed pumpkins. I hadn’t grown them before, so I was very excited about the prospect of having my garden completely filled to the brim with enormous orange balls, lighting up the autumn garden when all the other crops had vanished. However..I totally oversaw the need to sever the shoots of the pumpkin plant after the first fruit had started growing, in order for the plant to just concentrate on the one fruit and to get big pumpkins. So instead of a few large pumpkins, I got a lot of small ones…You live and learn.

However, here is a tasty and very traditional use of the gorgeous flesh from the iconic pumpkin. To make it a little different I throw in a handful of crushed amaretto biscuits for some depth in flavor.

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Pumpkin Pie

Pastry

225g plain flour

110g butter

80g sugar

1 large egg

1 tsp mixed spice

1 tbsp cold water

Filling

250 g pumpkin flesh, cut into chunks

2 large eggs plus 1 yolk

75g muscovado sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

½ tsp nutmeg

½ tsp ground mixed spice

½ tsp ground ginger

275 ml single cream

2 tbsp crushed amaretto biscuits.

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Method:

Crumb together by hand or using a food processor the butter and flour. Next add the sugar and mixed spice.

Add in the egg to form a soft dough – add the water if needed.

Wrap in cling film, and chill for 1 hour.

Once chilled, roll the pastry out to 1 cm thickness, and place in a 21cm pie dish. Blind bake at 170 degrees for 15 -20 min until lightly golden. Remove from oven, and set aside, but leave oven on.

With the excess pastry, cut out leaf decorations for the pie. (i do this by hand, but I know you can get some cool cutters too)

To Make the filling;

Remove the pumpkin skin and dice the flesh. Steam the flesh in a pan for 10 min, until tender.

Bring the cream, muscovado sugar and spices to a boil whilst stirring, then remove from the heat.

Add the pumpkin to a food processor and blitz until smooth. Add the eggs plus yolk, and cooled cream mixture and whizz again until well combined.

Pour the pumpkin mixture into the prepared pastry case, and bake for 25 min until just set, remove the pie from the oven, and place the leaf decorations on top of the pie. Bake for a further 20 min until fully set. Cool on a wire rack, and serve cold with whipped cream or ice cream.