Halloween Special Pumpkin Pie

[caption id="attachment_50810" align="alignnone" width="1824"]Pumpkin pie made by student chef, Ash Gomez. Pumpkin pie[/caption]Whether you are looking to cure your homesickness or want to know why America is obsessed with pumpkin, this pumpkin pie recipe is guaranteed to get you into the autumn spirit.The recipe requires roughly half of a medium pumpkin. I recommend cooking the whole thing anyway and setting it aside for some other easy-to-make pumpkin goodies like cupcakes, biscuits, and soup. In this recipe, I provide instructions for both the filling and the pastry. You can alternatively opt for a pre-made pastry and eliminate the need for a pie dish, but it will most likely burn in some areas.Ingredients:Filling:

Pastry:

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas mark 6.
  2. Cut the pumpkin into chunks, removing the peel as you go. Place the pumpkin into a saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil on medium heat, then reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.
  3. While your pumpkin is cooking, you can begin the pastry. Mix together the flour and salt. Rub the butter completely into the mixture. Add 1 teaspoon of cold water to the mixture at a time until it is able to hold together and take shape.
  4. With lightly floured hands, shape pastry into a ball. Place onto a lightly floured board, and roll the pastry out to a 0.25cm thickness. Transfer to a 20-23cm pie dish. Cut off any excess pastry hanging off the sides of the dish, and pinch the pastry securely around the inner edge. Place aside while you prepare the filling.
  5. Once your pumpkin has cooked for 30 minutes, drain it and allow to cool.
  6. Place the cooked pumpkin back into the saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Drain once again. Measure out 500g of the puréed pumpkin. The rest can be set aside.
  7. Whisk the eggs. In a large bowl, beat together the pumpkin, evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and salt. Mix well. Pour into the prepared pie dish.
  8. Bake for 40 minutes or until a knife can be inserted in the centre and comes out clean. Enjoy warm or cool, with or without cream.