- Serves 10 to 12 - Ready in 3 hours 30 minutes, which includes 2 hours of cooling time (making your own pumpkin puree will increase the time by an extra 45 min and making your own pastry will add on another 45 min) -
* Uses up 800g of fresh (skin and seeds removed) pumpkin / butternut squash or 1 can (425g) of pumpkin puree *
Make sure you don't include any seeds when making the puree. The seeds can be soaked and roasted to make a delicious snack - here is the recipe link for 'Soaked and Roasted Pumpkin Seeds'.
Gather together…
800g raw (skin and seeds removed) pieces of pumpkin / butternut squash (see below how to turn it into puree) OR 1x 15-ounce (425g) can (i.e. a normal sized can) of pumpkin purée – 'Baking Buddy' and 'Libby's' are two brands often sold in UK supermarkets.
750g (1.5 packets) shortcrust pastry - there will be leftover pastry (enough for about 6 mince pies / jam tarts) after trimming, which sounds potentially wasteful but it is much easier if you have excess pastry.
2 large eggs, plus the yolk of a third large egg (or use 3 medium eggs plus the yolk of a fourth medium egg).
½ cup (80g) brown sugar.
1/3 cup (80g ) white caster / white granulated sugar.
Note: The cup measures for the different sugars are different sizes, yet the weight in grams is the same - different types of sugars have grains which fit together more or less tightly, making some 'heavier' than others.
½ tsp salt.
2 tsp ground cinnamon.
1 tsp ground ginger.
¼ tsp ground nutmeg.
¼ tsp ground cloves.
1/8 tsp ground cardamom - or crush approx. 5 peeled cardamom seeds with a rolling pin and sieve into the mixture, so just the smallest bits get through.
½ tsp lemon zest.
1 and 1/4 cups (300 ml) double cream. *UPDATED as the ml quantity was wrong previously*
Serve with...
Vanilla ice cream (1 scoop each).
Get cooking…
1. If needed, make the 425g of pumpkin puree from the skinless and seedless 800g of raw pumpkin / butternut squash- use a potato peeler to turn the pumpkin flesh into long, thin strips OR cut it into very thin slices with a knife (I usually end up with a mixture of peelings and slicings). Then place it into a large microwavable bowl (e.g. a pyrex dish), add 5 tbsp of water, cover the bowl with a vented lid (to allow some of the steam to escape, so you don't get burnt by a rush of steam when opening the lid) and microwave on HIGH for 15 - 20 minutes. Then very carefully (as it is HOT) drain the liquid away with a sieve and then blitz the cooked pumpkin with a handheld stick blender until smooth - this will take about 1 minute. If it seems watery, use the sieve again to remove more water. Now spread the puree out thinly on a dinner plate and let the puree cool for AT LEAST 15 minutes before using - so you don't scramble the eggs! Do weigh out the correct amount needed before using as you'll probably have a bit of puree leftover - stir into a smoothie or milkshake, or make a spiced latte, so it isn't wasted.
The photos below show how to make the puree, but you'll need much more than is pictured!
2. If you want to make your own pastry, scroll to the bottom of this page, or combine the 1.5 packets of shortcrust pastry (i.e. squash / knead them together for about a minute) and roll the pastry out on a well-floured surface, to a VERY large circle, about £1 coin in thickness. This will take 5 to 10 minutes of very tiring rolling out! Make sure the circle of pastry you roll is much bigger than the tin and that the pastry is only the thickness of a £1 coin all over. Fit it, WITHOUT stretching it, over the base and up the sides of a floured 12-inch / 31 cm loose-bottomed metal pie dish, such as the £7-ish ‘VARDAGEN’ pie dish from Ikea. Gently ease the pastry into the base of the tin using a rolled-up lump of the excess pastry (so you don't put your fingertips through it). Trim off only SOME of the excess pastry with scissors (see images below), just so the pastry isn't touching the worksurface - don't over-trim as the pastry SHRINKS A LOT when baking, and anyway you can neaten it up once it is baked by slicing off the baked excess pastry with a dinner knife. Put the loose-based pie tin on a flat oven tray when carrying it, so you don't accidentally push up the underside.
3. Put the pastry case in the FREEZER for 15 minutes (or in the fridge for 30 minutes) and have a cup of tea / clean up the kitchen whilst you wait for the pastry to chill. You need to chill the pastry before 'blind baking' it (our next stage) as the butter needs to be firm so that the pastry holds its shape.
4. Meanwhile, towards the end of the freezer / fridge time, prep your oven by putting the main shelf near the bottom of the oven and preheat to 200 C (180 C fan) or Gas 6.
5. You now need to 'blind bake' the pastry case, so the base layer of pastry is cooked through and not soggy. Begin by pricking the horizontal surface of the pastry-in-the-tin all over with a fork, so air doesn't get trapped and swell up under the base. Aim to prick this case firmly at least 50 times with a fork.
6. Next put a large square of greaseproof paper (slightly larger than the metal pastry case) over the top of the fork-pricked pastry in the case. It's best to scrunch the grease proof paper up and then unfold it - the crumpled paper will fit more snugly to the shape of the tin. Now you need to add weight to stop the pastry case puffing up. Either use at least 700g of 'baking beads / beans' (small ceramic, purpose-made spheres which can be reused indefinitely) or use 2 cups of dry rice (the baked rice cannot be eaten afterwards but can be used many times for blind baking over the years, if stored in an airtight container after use.)
7. Spread the 'weight' over the crumpled-then-smoothed greaseproof paper which is over the top of the pastry base. Make sure there is a fairly even layer over all of the base, but do make sure the beads/rice weigh down the edges of the case well, as this is where the pastry tries to shrink the most.
8. Carefully put the weighted-down pastry-lined tin in the oven (remember that the tin base is LOOSE!) and 'blind bake' with the weighted greaseproof paper in for 20 minutes.
9. Remove the weight (beads or rice) very CAREFULLY as they will be hot, especially if you are using ceramic beads which retain the heat for ages. You can re-use the greaseproof paper the next time you blind bake, and you can reuse the rice for blind baking but you can't eat it.
10. Now blind bake the 'naked' pie base for a final 10 minutes (and then remove the pie base from the oven, but leave the oven ON).
11. Meanwhile, whilst the blind baking is happening, you can combine the pie filling. In a medium-large mixing bowl (you can use an electric stand mixer if you want to) put the 425g of pumpkin puree (homemade-but-cooled or tinned) and the 2 large eggs (plus an extra egg yolk) - alternative amounts for medium eggs are listed above. Mix in the ½ cup (80g) of brown sugar, the 1/3 cup (80g) of white caster sugar, the ½ tsp of salt, and add the spices - the 2 tsp of ground cinnamon, the 1 tsp of ground ginger, the ¼ tsp of nutmeg, the ¼ tsp of ground cloves, the 1/8 tsp of ground cardamom, and the ½ tsp of lemon zest.
12. Stir in the 1 and 1/4 cups (300ml) of double cream. Mix together (for about 30 seconds) until everything is well combined.
13. Pour the filling into the 'blind baked' pie shell and bake (towards the bottom of the oven) for 45 to 55 minutes.
14. About half-way through the baking, you may want to put foil around the edges if you see any parts of the crust getting overly browned.
15. The pie is done when a knife tip inserted in the centre comes out wet but relatively clean. The centre should be just barely jiggly. The surface will crack in places, but it will be delicious. Don't overbake it.
16. Once baked, very, very carefully remove the hot pie dish from the oven, remembering that the pie tin has a LOOSE base! Cool the pie completely on a wire rack whilst still in the tin for 2 hours, in a cool place.
17. Before serving - use a knife held straight up and down to carefully chisel off any excess pastry (over a large baking tray to catch the yummy shards of pastry). Then use a tin-can from your cupboard to sit the loose-bottomed tin on, so you can gently remove the tin's outer edge downwards. Finally slide the flat circular base of the tin out.
18. Serve the pie at room temperature with vanilla ice cream.
19. This pie will keep in the fridge, on a plate covered in a beeswax wrap / foil, for up to three days.
20. Once fully cool (give it at least 2 hours on a wire rack in a cool place), you can freeze it, in cut-up read-to-eat portions, for up to 3 months. I place the pieces (not touching or they freeze in a lump) in an airtight freezer-safe container, I don't wrap the slices in disposable cling film or foil, as I don't like the waste.
Adapted from the 'Old Fashioned Pumpkin Pie' recipe on simplyrecipes.com.
To make the 750g of Rough Puff Pastry (or just use shop-bought SHORTCRUST pastry)…
My homemade rough-puff pastry always comes out like very nice shortcrust rather than like puff pastry, so I use it in recipes requiring shortcrust. It will add 45 minutes on to your recipe (as it requires chilling time once made).
Gather together...
225g chilled butter in cubes.
450g plain flour, pinch of salt.
200ml - 270ml (14-18tbsp YES tablespoons) of very cold water.
Get cooking...
1. In a medium mixing bowl, coat the 225g of chopped, cold butter cubes in the 450g of plain flour and the pinch of salt.
2. Add the 200ml - 270ml (14-18 tbsp YES tablespoons) of very cold water and use your hands to squash the flour and butter cubes roughly together into a lumpy clump of a ball. No need to rub in the butter.
3. On a clean and well-floured worksurface, shape the lump into a rectangle and use a rolling pin to roll it out (moving the rolling pin in ONE DIRECTION only) away from you, until you have a rectangle 1 cm thick.
4. Use plenty of flour on the worksurface and rolling pin.
5. Fold the pastry rectangle from the short end furthest from you – fold 1/3 of the dough towards you, then the nearest 1/3 away from you (so it folds over the first 1/3 you folded) – like folding a business letter. So you now have a rectangle made of 3 equal sized layers.
6. Give the pastry rectangle a ¼ turn clockwise, then repeat the ONE DIRECTION rolling and the 1/3 over 1/3 folding.
7. Give another ¼ turn clockwise.
8. Do the rolling, folding into thirds, and turning process 4 or 5 more times, on a well-floured board.
9. Wrap the pastry in a beeswax wrap (or a plastic bag which you can wash and re-use) and chill in the fridge for at least 30 min before rolling out, as directed by the recipe.