Use the pumpkin flesh from your Halloween lantern to make a delightful, indulgent pie
Sweet sensations
Creamy pumpkin pie with nutmeg and vanilla pastry
SERVES 6
For the base
4oz/110g butter, hard from the fridge and cut into bits
5oz/140g plain flour
2 rounded tablespoons icing sugar – no need to sieve it first
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
a good grating of nutmeg
Put the above ingredients into a food processor and whiz to the texture of fine crumbs. Press these firmly over the base and up the sides of a flan dish measuring about 9in/22cm diameter. Put the dish into the fridge for at least an hour, then bake straight into a moderate heat, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes. Towards the end of the cooking time, using a metal spoon, scrape the pastry sides firmly back into place – they will slip down towards the base during cooking. Cool.
For the filling
8oz/225g raw pumpkin flesh cut into small chunks
1 pint/570ml milk
1 level teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 leaves of gelatine soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
¼ pint/140ml double cream, whipped but not stiffly
3 large egg whites
3oz/85g sieved icing sugar
Put the pieces of pumpkin into a saucepan with the milk, cinnamon and vanilla. Simmer gently until the pumpkin is soft. Take the pan off the heat, drip-drain the soaked gelatine and drop it into the hot contents of the saucepan and stir briefly to dissolve the gelatine. When cooled slightly – about 10 minutes – whiz the contents of the pan in a food processor or by using a hand held blender. Cool. Fold the lightly whipped cream into the
pumpkin mixture.
In a bowl, whisk up the egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff. Then, whisking continuously, whisk in the sieved icing sugar, a spoonful at a time. Fold this meringue through the pumpkin mixture – easiest done using a flat wire whisk. Pour this into the cooled pastry base, smooth the surface even, and leave to set. Serve, if you like, with slightly sweetened vanilla-flavoured whipped cream.
Baked pecan pie
You can substitute walnuts for the pecans, but be sure that they are fresh, and if at all possible do find pecans – they are delicious in this recipe.
SERVES 6
For the base
4oz/110g butter, hard from the fridge and cut into small bits
6oz/170g plain flour
1 fairly level tablespoon icing sugar
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
Put all the above ingredients into a processor and whiz to the texture of fine crumbs. Press these firmly over the base and up the sides of a flan dish measuring about 9in/22cm diameter, and put the dish into the fridge for at least an hour. Then bake straight from the fridge into a moderate heat, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 20-25 minutes. Towards the end of this time, with a metal spoon, scrape the sides firmly back into place – as the pastry bakes, the sides tend to slip towards the base. Cool.
For the filling
4oz/110g soft brown sugar
4oz/110g butter, cut into small bits (they then melt easier)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 large eggs, beaten well
6oz/170g golden syrup
6oz/170g pecans
Put the soft brown sugar, the bits of butter, vanilla extract, beaten eggs and golden syrup into a Pyrex bowl, and put the bowl over a pan of gently simmering water. Stir the contents of the bowl as the sugar dissolves and the butter melts. Stir the nuts into the melted contents of the bowl, and lift the bowl off the heat.
Pour the contents of the bowl into the cooled pastry, and bake in the same moderate temperature as for the pastry. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until, when you gently shake the flan dish, the centre of the filling no longer wobbles. Serve warm or cooled, with crème fraiche or
whipped cream.
Pear and ginger pie
This uses gingernuts as the base, instead
of pastry.
SERVES 6
12 gingernuts, whizzed to fine crumbs in a processor – this makes a horrendous noise for a few seconds, be warned
2oz/55g butter, melted
finely grated rind of 1 lemon
Mix the melted butter and finely grated lemon rind thoroughly into the fine-crumbed gingernuts. Press this mixture firmly over the base and up the sides of a flan dish measuring about 9in/22cm in diameter. Bake in a moderate heat, 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4 for 20 minutes, then take it out of the oven and cool.
For the filling
4 ripe pears, preferably Conference or Concord – they must be British-grown, peeled, quartered and cored and chopped and mixed with
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons ginger syrup from the preserved ginger jar
3 tablespoons cold water
3 leaves of gelatine soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
2 large egg whites
1 rounded tablespoon sieved icing sugar
6 pieces of stem ginger, sliced into fine slivers – for garnishing
Put the ginger syrup and cold water together in a small saucepan over moderate heat. When steaming, drip drain the soaked leaves of gelatine and drop them into the liquid in the pan. Swirl the pan a couple of times to dissolve the gelatine, then set on one side.
Put the peeled and cored and chopped pears with the lemon juice into a processor. Whiz till smooth, adding the gelatine liquid. Pour the pear mixture into a bowl or wide jug and cool.
When the pear mixture is beginning to gel, in a clean bowl whisk up the egg whites with a pinch of salt,
till stiff.
Then whisk in the sieved icing sugar, half a spoonful, then when thoroughly incorporated, the other half spoonful. Fold this meringue thoroughly through the pear mixture, and pour into the cooled gingernut base. Leave till set. Arrange the slivers of preserved ginger around the edge of the soft pear filling.
This pie should be made the same day that it is to be eaten, otherwise the filling might turn light brown as the pear puree slightly discolours. Serve with whipped cream or with crème fraiche.