Recipe: Pumpkin Pie

It's really not the right season over here in New Zealand to be making desserts like Pumpkin Pie. Our weather is warming up, and you're more likely to be indulging in strawberries and ice cream! BUT I can assure you, once you've had this pie, you will change your mind! It has a beautiful sweet, velvety texture, and it's hard to stop at one slice!

I got the recipe from an old work colleague who used to make it every time we had a pot luck meal. I actually hadn't had it before then, it always seems a bit confusing to make a sweet dish from a vegetable! So the thought of it might put some people off. If I had the choice of apple pie or pumpkin pie, I might actually choose the pumpkin option! 

This is really a very sweet, decadent dessert that can be eaten warm or cold, alone or with cream, ice cream or yoghurt. 

It's definitely worth a try, and if I have any Northern Hemisphere readers, here's an easy recipe for your Thanksgiving dinner!

Pumpkin Pie 

(from an Alison Holst recipe book)

Sweet Short pastry (homemade, frozen or a pre-prepared pie crust)

1 cup cooked pumpkin

1 can (395g) sweetened condensed milk

1 cup loosely packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon vanilla

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon ground ginger

Set oven to 220 degrees C (475F). 

Firstly, cook your pumpkin. Either boil in a pot with skin removed until soft, or roast in the oven at 180 degrees for approximately 30 minutes until cooked, with skin and seeds intact. Remove skin and seeds when cool. Skip this step if you are using already cooked pumpkin. 

While the pumpkin is cooking, prepare your pie tin. Frozen pastry sheets will need to defrost before you put it into your pie tin. You can line or grease your pie tin but this is not strictly necessary. 

Once the pumpkin has cooled, add all of the ingredients to a food processor or blender and mix until smooth. Pour the filling into your pie crust. 

Bake the pie for 15-20 minutes or until the crust has browned. Then reduce the temperature of the oven to 180 degrees C (350F) and bake for approximately 30 minutes or until the filling is set. 

You will notice when you take it out of the oven that it has "puffed" up a bit, but the pie will drop down as it cools. 

I mostly use a crown pumpkin, but I think you could try others, including butter nut. I would not recommend used canned pumpkin. I don't think it's available here in NZ. 

I also used a flan or quiche dish which is approximately 23cm. 

Apologies that I am not able to credit which Alison Holst recipe this came from as I don't have it! However this is my own adaptation.