Pumpkin Pie – the non cheating way.
For Brad’s first Thanksgiving in Australia, I had to find a good Pumpkin Pie recipe. That was not as easy as you might think as, at the time, the vast majority of recipes included a ‘can of pumpkin pie filling’. I have never really been a ‘can of’ kind of girl, and have always made things from fresh ingredients, so when I came across the following recipe, I couldn’t have been happier.
He says it’s the best pumpkin pie he has ever eaten… but don’t tell his Mum!
This recipe makes enough for two pies – don’t halve it, as both pies will disappear in no time, but they do keep very well for several days in the fridge, so they can be made well ahead of time. They also freeze very well.
Ingredients:
â— 3 eggs
â— 1/3 cup brown sugar
â— 1/3 cup caster sugar
â— 2 cups mashed pumpkin – jap or queensland blue
â— 1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
â— 1 tsp. ground ginger
â— 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
â— 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
â— 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
â— pinch salt
â— 3/4 cup thickened cream
â— 1/2 cup reduced fat cream
â— 1 cooked 23cm shortcrust pastry case (recipe to follow)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 220C
2. Beat eggs and sugars together until light. Stir in pumpkin, spices and salt and mix thoroughly. Stir in both lots of cream. Pour filling into pastry case.
3. Cook the pie for 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 160C and cook for another 40-45 minutes or until filling is set (a knife inserted in the centre will come out clean). Remove from oven and cool completely before cutting.
Short Crust Pastry – enough for 1 pie.
Ingredients:
- 1 2/3 cups (250g) plain flour
- 125g unsalted butter, chilled, finely chopped
- 1 egg, chilled
Directions:
- Process flour, butter and a pinch of salt in a food processor until mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Whisk egg and 1 tbs chilled water in a bowl until combined, then with food processor motor running, add to flour mixture. Process until mixture begins to form large clumps, stopping machine before mixture forms a ball.
- Turn pastry out on to a work surface and knead gently to bring together. Form into a disc for a round tart or into a log shape for a rectangular tart. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight or for at least 2 hours
Have fun, and let me know what you think!
Thank you so much! I have been trying to find a recipe someone else had already tried for me
that actually tells me what variety of pumpkin to use. I’m going to give it a go this week.
You’re welcome, honey! I hope you like it. Last year I roasted the pumpkin instead of steaming it and it was still delicious, but a little too ‘pumkinny’ for my taste. liked it better steamed.
It sounds delicious & looks pretty yummy too!
Thanks Barbara! Honestly, before I tasted it, I would have sworn I’d hate it. It just sounded feral…. but I’m a convert.
Oh yum – being of North American descent I think I will
Brad assures me you will enjoy it!
dumb question – is it a main, or a dessert?
It’s a dessert
@Rah: Actually, it’s both. On the day, it’s a dessert. But, the next day, it’s breakfast lunch and dinner
But I wanna cook like an Um-er-i-carn.
I want canned pumpkin. To make my pumpkin spiced latte to go with it.
*vomit*
But seriously, that pie looks gooooooooooooooooood.
You know…I’ve tried and tried and tried again to make a good pie crust from scratch and FAIL. Every. Time.
So, I’m going to try this one for Christmas this year and we’ll see! I’ll let you know…
If not, I might start blaming the chef and not the recipe
I’ve been making pumpkin pies for my American hubby the past few years and I’ve always found they still work quite nicely with the American recipes, all you need to do really is make the pumpkin puree yourself. The ones that use vanilla pudding mix in them have a nice creamy consistency. I’ve been using butternut pumpkin but I would be interested to find out how the others would taste in it. I’d never had one until he came to Australia and I don’t want another year to go by that I don’t have one. They’re delicious!