Rachael's Pumpkin Pies
Pumpkin pie, more commonly served in North America in the Autumn, is a bit of an underrated dessert in this country. The lovely balance of the pumpkin, mixed with spices and cream creates a rich, indulgent pie without being overly sweet. Served with a dollop of mascarpone cream, this is a great treat to share with friends and family in front of the fire as the cold nights set in..
Our recipe starts from a fresh pumpkin and dough made from scratch, but if you’re pressed for time, there are some easy shortcuts that won’t compromise too much on taste. Tinned pumpkin is actually of surprisingly good quality, so there’s no shame in substituting this in place of fresh pumpkin. Our friends at Turnips in Borough Market helped us select a cooking pumpkin rather than the less flavoursome standard carving pumpkin you see on sale in most places.
Over time we’ve tested out 4 combinations of simple shortcrust pastry ingredients, including flour, salt and water along with butter and/or fat. We’ve found that a butter/lard mix gave for the flakiest and tastiest pastry, followed closely by the butter/vegetable fat mix. The all-butter recipe also works pretty well, however, we suggest avoiding an all-lard mix because it’s just too strongly flavoured. To help avoid the dreaded soggy bottom, we recommend pre-baking the crust until nearly done and then adding the warm pie filling before returning to finish baking to the end. If you’re really pressed for time, you can cheat by buying a pre-baked pastry case or ready-made pastry, but you won’t likely be able to pass it off as your own!
Ingredients
For the pastry:
- 225g plain flour (sifted) and extra for dusting
- 45g lard or vegetable fat (cubed)
- 60g butter (cubed)
- Pinch of salt
- Ice-cold water in a spray bottle
For the filling:
- 425g pumpkin flesh (fresh or tinned)
- 85g brown sugar
- 2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ground cloves
- 150ml double cream
- 150ml milk (semi-skimmed or full-fat)
- 3 large eggs
- Good pinch of salt
Method:
If using fresh pumpkin, preheat oven to 175°C/155°C Fan/Gas mark 4. Cut pumpkin open and remove seeds and the stringy bits. Cut into sections and place skin side up on a lined baking tray (or roasting dish). Roast for 45-60 minutes (until flesh feels tender with a fork) and then cool. Remove the skin and then measure out around 425g of the flesh.
Prepare the pastry by mixing the flour and butter-lard (or butter-vegetable fat) mixture with your hands until it resembles bread crumbs. Combine the mix by spraying with cold water and folding ingredients to bind them together until you eventually have a flattened ball of dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate (ideally for an hour).
Remove the pastry and roll it out. You should be able to make around 6 large minis (depending on the size of your muffin trays) or one 9” pie. Cut out the minis by using a bowl to measure. Grease the tray and then add the dough slices and adjust to fit the compartments in the tray. You can cover the individual crusts with foil to avoid over-baking and add pie weights to prevent the pastry from pulling away from the side of the pan.
Pre-bake the pastry in the large muffin tins for 25-30 minutes at 190°C/170°C fan/Gas mark 5 until lightly browned (you may need to reduce for smaller sized containers, so just watch for the colour of the pastry to change)
While the pastry is baking, prepare the filling. Add the spices and sugar and mix together by hand or in a food processor. Heat slowly over a low-medium heat on the hob.
As soon as your pastry cases come out of the oven, increase oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6. Add the cream and milk to the pie filling and continue simmering on the hob. Whisk the eggs well and add to the mixture. You may choose to blend the mixture in the food processor. Then add the mixture to the warm pre-baked pastry cases in the tins and return to the oven.
As soon as your pastry cases come out of the oven, increase oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan/Gas mark 6. Add the cream and milk to the pie filling and continue simmering on the hob. Whisk the eggs well and add to the mixture. You may choose to blend the mixture in the food processor. Then add the mixture to the warm pre-baked pastry cases in the tins and return to the oven.
Bake for around 15-25 minutes (depending on the size of the tin). To check if they’re ready, insert a toothpick into the centre of the pie and if it’s cooked it will come out clean. Cool and serve at room temperature. We love serving with a dollop of mascarpone or whipped cream on the side.
