Roasted Pumpkin Pie

Here in Britain we don’t really make much use of our Halloween pumpkin, but with a rise in popularity of celebrating Halloween here, our shops are awash with our lovely orange veggie friend from the beginning of October. This is the time to embrace a classic tradition from all you lovelies over there in the states and start making pumpkin pie! I love this recipe as it uses honey as the sweetener, and as it is quite a sweet filling I don’t use sweet pastry for this, I just feel it’s a bit too much…instead I like to flavour my pastry with cinnamon, but ginger would work equally as well. This pie would be wonderful for a Halloween celebration or served at the end of your Samhain ritual! bb mandyxxx

 

Ingredients (Serves 8)

 

For the pastry

 

350g (12 oz) plain flour

2 scant tsp ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

200g (7 oz) butter

125ml (4 fl oz) cold water

 

For the filling

 

1 medium pumpkin

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon salt

4 eggs, lightly beaten

250g honey, warmed

Grated zest of 1 lemon.

100ml milk

100ml whipping cream

 

Method

 

Make the pastry by sifting together the flour, salt and cinnamon together into a bowl.

Add the water one tbsp at a time. Keep adding the water until pastry is moist enough to hold together.

Turn the pastry out onto a lightly floured board. Roll pastry out to approximately ¼ inch thickness. Line a pie dish (20 or 23cm) pressing pastry into the bottom. Remove any excess pastry hanging over the sides of the dish with a knife or a rolling pin.

Cut pumpkin in half, and remove seeds. Lightly oil the cut surface. Place cut side down on a baking tin lined with foil and lightly oiled. Bake at 170’c until the flesh is tender when poked with a fork. Cool until just warm.

 Scrape the pumpkin flesh from the peel. Either mash well or puree in a blender.

In large bowl, blend together 500g of the pumpkin puree, spices, lemon zest and salt.

Beat in eggs, honey, milk and cream. Pour filling into a prepared pastry case.

Bake at 200’C for approximately 50 minutes or until a knife inserted into the filling comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.

               Serve warm or at room temperature topped with a good dollop of Cream!