Pumpkin isn’t just for Halloween you know! This beautiful autumnal vegetable can be the perfect comfort food throughout the whole season. Our Expert Contributor Wendy Strang has come up with this great recipe for Autumn Pie that really hits the spot!
This recipe can also be made using butternut squash, if so, reduce sugar to 40g as butternut squash has a natural sweetness. If using a fan oven, reduce the temperatures by 10-20ºC.
Autumn Pumpkin or Butternut Squash Pie
Ingredients
For the Pastry:
- 175g plain flour
- 100g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tbsp cold water
For the Filling:
- 450g pumpkin or butternut squash, cut into large cubes
- 4 tbsp maple syrup
- 50g caster sugar
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 medium eggs
- 100ml evaporated milk
Method
- Preheat the oven to Gas 6, 200 C. Place the pumpkin pieces into a roasting tin and bake for approximately 30 minutes until tender. Cool a little.
- Make the pastry by sieving the flour into a bowl, add the butter and rub in until the mixture looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar, egg yolk and water and bring together to form a dough.
- Roll out on a floured surface and use to line a 20cm, loose based fluted flan tin. Bake blind using baking beans in the oven for 10 minutes then remove the beans and cook for a further 5 minutes. Remove and reduce the oven temperature to Gas 4, 180 C.
- Peel the skin from the cooked pumpkin and place the flesh into a food processor, puree until smooth then add the syrup, sugar, spices, eggs and evaporated milk. Process again on low speed until mixed together.
- Pour the mixture into the pastry case and bake for 30-35 minutes until set and very slightly wobbly in the centre.
- Serve warm dusted with icing sugar.
About Our Expert Contributor
Wendy Strang has been working as a consultant Home Economist/Food Stylist for over 20 years for a variety of food and appliance manufacturers, writing recipes, styling food for stills photography and film for advertising and editorial purposes. Wendy also gets involved with cookery demonstrations for appliance and houseware companies. Prior to working on a freelance basis She was Head office Home Economist for Iceland Frozen Foods and before that for Kraft Foods. Wendy has recently been on the judging panel for The Grocer Own label Food and Drink Awards.