Recipe: Pumpkin Pie

Uses pumpkin (or squash) and eggs from the allotment.

Pumpkin pie is an American tradition, served during autumn and winter, especially at Thanksgiving, which is some strange American festival to do with turkeys, American Indians and Pilgrim fathers. For some reason it hasn’t caught on here.  (Maybe because England is short on American Indians and Pilgrim Fathers nowadays.)

However it provides a tasty dessert, and is a good way of using a glut, which is what I have at the moment.

From trawling the recipes on the net, it would seem that most U.S. cooks cheat, and use a tin of pumpkin pie mix, and evaporated milk. I use a tasty British recipe that uses fresh pumpkin and double cream instead.

I do sometimes cheat with the pastry, though, and use frozen.

1.                  To prepare the pumpkin, cut it in half and remove the seeds. (I have had good results with both butternut squash and a regular (small) pumpkin.)

2.                  Either roast or steam until soft and scrape the flesh from the skin.  Sieve to remove excess water (after steaming).

3.                 Whisk 3 small or 2 large eggs.

4.                 Put 3 oz of soft brown sugar and 10 oz of double cream in a pan. Add 2 tsp mixed spice (use a mix that contains some or all of nutmeg, allspice, cloves, cinnamon and ginger) Bring to simmering point and pour over the eggs, giving a quick stir.

5.                 Add 1lb of pumpkin flesh and whisk together with a blender until smooth.

6.                 Line a dish with pastry and pour in the pumpkin mix.

7.                 Bake at 180^oC for 40 minutes. Cool before serving.

I have had nothing but complements for this pie.