When the weather starts to turn you know it’s time for dessert and (in the Northern hemisphere at least) nothing says Autumn like pumpkin pie. With the leaves turning on the trees (and pumpkins on special) there’s no time like the present for New Zealand to embrace this North American staple.
Easy to make and deliciously satisfying (especially with a generous dollop of cream or scoop of ice cream), pumpkin pie is a favourite dessert with many for good reason. It’s a great way to use abundant produce and, despite using a common dinner ingredient, is also a sweet treat the kids may well love. You can make the pastry using the method below, or for a shortcut, use store-bought sweet shortcrust pastry.
Ingredients
Pastry:
1 ½ cups flour
1 Tbsp caster sugar
Pinch of salt
75g butter
3-4 Tbsp water
Filling:
450g peeled pumpkin
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
2 lightly beaten eggs
1/2 cup cream
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Cut your pumpkin into pieces and steam in a pot with a little water until soft.
- If making the pastry: Mix flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Rub in the butter. Add water and knead to a smooth consistency.
- Dust a 26cm quiche pan with flour and lightly dust your bench top too. Roll out the pastry – homemade or otherwise – and place into the pan, trimming away any extra. Trimmings can be used for decoration if you are feeling creative!
- Prick the pastry base with a fork and cook for 15 min.
- Drain any water from your pumpkin, then mash or blend it until smooth.
- Add the rest of the ingredients to the pumpkin, mixing well. Pour mixture onto the pastry base and bake for 30-50 minutes until the surface turns a golden brown.
- Slice and serve with cream or ice cream. Eat while it’s warm!
