Monday, June 18, 2012

Pumpkin Pie

We have an American gal from Texas staying with us right now, so when  we were on our way home from work, I asked her about pies from the US to get some inspiration for the Sweet Adventures Blog Hop this month. Pumpkin pie immediately sparked my interest as I have heard that in the States Pumpkin Pie comes right out of a can and into a pre made pastry case, so I thought it might be a challenge to make one from scratch, but where to start? Fast forward to a few mins later when I sat down to think about our menu for meals for next week. I pulled my June '06 copy of Delicious Magazine from the shelf, opened it at a random page to start flicking through, and there it was....Jill Dupleix's recipe for Sweet Pumpkin Pie. It was a sign! So, here we are!

Jill's recipe calls for store bought shortcrust pastry. Whilst I'm a fan of this for making quick pies in my pie maker, today's pie for a Blog Hop called for a home-made pastry too. I also jazzed up the presentation with a blow torch to the marshmallows on top. Whilst this recipe is heavily based on Jill Dupleix's, I adapted it a little too, so here goes:

Pumpkin Pie

Pastry
200g Plain Flour
100g Chilled Butter
Pinch of salt
2-3 tablespoons of water

Filling
1 Butter nut pumpkin
3 eggs
60g fine breadcrumbs
200g brown sugar
1tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp all spice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
250ml evaporated milk
Marshmallows to decorate


  • Preheat the Oven to 200C;
  • Halve the pumpkin and lay seed side down on a greased baking tray. Cook until tender for approx 45 mins (fan forced);
  • Meanwhile, prepare the pastry: In the food processor blitz flour, salt and butter till it resembles breadcrumbs; Add water to bind, 1 tbsp at a time. When it starts to form clumps turn it out onto a floured bench top and knead till smooth;
  • Wrap in cling wrap and chill in the fridge for 30 mins;
  • After chilling, roll out the pastry to around 3mm thick. Prick the base a few times with a fork and return to the fridge for around 20 mins to chill again (this prevents the pastry from shrinking in the oven);
  • Line pastry case with the pastry, and then cover with baking paper and pastry weights;
  • Remove pumpkin from the oven and turn off fan;
  • Blind bake the pastry for around 10 mins, then remove weights and baking paper and bake for another 10-15 mins until browning;
  • Meanwhile, remove 350g pulp from the baked pumpkin and set aside to cool;
  • Into the food processor, add the three eggs and whizz gently to lightly beat;
  • Add the pumpkin flesh and process till smooth;
  • Pour in spices, sugar, breadcrumbs and a pinch of salt. Beat till combined;
  • Finally add evaporated milk and blitz till all mixed in and smooth;
  • Pour the mixture into a slightly cooled pastry case and return to oven for 25 mins or until the filling is set;
  • Remove from oven to cool slightly (can be served warm);
  • To serve, line white marshmallows around the outside of the pie. Blow torch to brown the marshmallows;
  • Serve with vanilla ice cream or pouring cream.

Thanks as always to the #SABH team, especially the Kitchen Crusader, for hosting this month's Bloghop!

16 comments:

Kyrstie @ A Fresh Legacy said...

I thought about making pumpkin pie also! Did your guest enjoy the pie? Your pie looks beautiful. Now I really need to get cracking and try one :)
Pumpkin pie in a can surely can not taste good??

Jennifer (Delicieux) said...

I've never tried pumpkin pie but your pie looks divine! Can you send me a slice :D

Anna @ The Littlest Anchovy said...

My(American)friend makes hers from a can and although it is lovely, yours has that something else...I love the marshmallows and the fact you made this from scratch :)

Nic@diningwithastud said...

I've always wanted to try pumpkin pie. It looks fab :) Love the marshmallow addition :D Thanks for joining the hop!

Jamie said...

I love the whimsical addition of those marshmallows! How I love a pumpkin pie and yours looks and sounds perfect!

JJ @ 84thand3rd said...

Pumpkin Pie is my absolute favourite! The best thing about not being able to get pumpkin in a can here is that I have to make it from scratch - it's 1000 times better that way! So glad you made this :) Interesting recipe, I've never seen one with breadcrumbs in it!

Nic said...

So how did it taste? It looks good but I'm not sure how I feel about pumpkin in dessert!

Maureen said...

Before becoming an Australian I was an American for many decades and pumpkin pie is a tradition in most homes. One year I invited 18 people for a Thanksgiving dinner and one of my guests asked to bring the pie.

I thought, "she's gonna mess it up."

She did. It was a pumpkin pie all right but there were no spices in it at all.

I do have to make everything from scratch here but for those who just can't bear it, you can get Libby's pumpkin from USA foods in Melbourne. (I *might* have done that once)

Sophie @ thestickyandsweet.com said...

I always see US recipes that have lovely pictures of Pumpkin Pie and then I get super disappointed when it says "Add 1 can of pumpkin pie filling". Now i can try your recipe!

Monica said...

I have only had pumpkin pie a couple of times and love it! Yours looks wonderful.

Christina @ The Hungry Australian said...

I have to say I'm wholly intrigued by the pumpkin pie. I've never tried one but I can definitely see that it would work, especially with the marshmallows. Lovely post!

Anonymous said...

Love that you made your own pastry and pie filling, it has to be much better than canned! Love the addition of marshmallows.

lau@corridorkitchen said...

It's interesting that US cooking sees pumpkin as a sweet ingredient, while here we really seem to consider it a savoury. I've never tried pumpkin pie but yours looks yummy!

Sugary Flower said...

Like many Aussies (I think), I've never tried pumpkin pie. But I've often wondered about it (hey, pumpkin scones are good, right?), and I'd like to try one out...
So was this one good?

Unknown said...

Thanks Sugary Flower! It was good! I reduced the nutmeg in the recipe, as it was a little nutmeggy for me, but great flavour. The pumpkin means it's not too sweet.

drew_neillie said...

BEST. PIE. I. HAVE. EVER. EATEN.

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