How to make your own delicious pumpkin pie
The American classic that has never really taken off in the United Kingdom due to our general mistrust of using vegetables in sweet dishes. However, it is surprisingly delicious and nowhere near as bad as it sounds!
This sweet pumpkin pie is sweet, does not taste like vegetables and has a very delightful flavour. It is best served warm with fresh double cream.
I make a dozen or more of these pies every year and they quickly disappear. Initially I find people are suspicious of it but after they try it, they can’t get enough! It is pretty easy to make. This recipe make enough mixture for 3 pumpkin pies (I use store bought sweet pastry cases as it saves a lot of time)
It is important to ensure that the pumpkin puree is very smooth for the best taste and consistency. If you are making it yourself from fresh pumpkin, then blend it in a food processor until it is smooth. If it remains stringy or there are stringy pieces in it, then it detracts from the quality of the pie. Removing all these pieces before roasting the pumpkin will help with the quality of the final product.
It is possible to buy canned pumpkin that can be used in place of fresh pumpkin in this recipe, though this is hard to find in-store in the UK but can be bought online. Smaller pumpkins tend to have the sweetest flesh and make for the best pumpkin pies. Check out my book on Growing Giant Pumpkins to find out how to grow the best culinary varieties at home.
Ingredients:
- 500g/1¾ cups pumpkin puree (roast the pumpkin for about 45 minutes or until soft and then puree for the best flavour otherwise you can boil it in water. I feel that boiling it makes the pumpkin too watery plus you get more flavour from roasting it)
- 400ml/1¾ cups sweetened condensed milk (1 can of Carnation in the UK)
- 175g/⅔ cup (firmly packed) light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons granulated (white) sugar
- 1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 eggs (beaten)
- 9” sweet pie crust (unbaked – either home-made or store-bought)
Method:
- Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and stir until thoroughly combined and smooth – use an electric mixer as it is quicker and takes just a couple of minutes
- Pour the mixture into the pie crust
- Bake for 15 minutes in an oven preheated to 220°C/425°F
- Turn the temperature down to 175°C/350°F and cook for a further 45-50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean
- Cool on a wire rack and serve while warm or refrigerate to eat later. Best served with fresh cream.
