Sweet Pumpkin Pie

Our childhood memories of trick or treat may have long gone but the Cellardoor girls think that life would be very dull without a good dose of sugar and Halloween fun!! If you like custard tart this sweetly spiced pumpkin pie will certainly tickle your taste buds - and in view of the occasion we've also carved our own Unicorn pumpkin!

Ingredients

Pastry

230g flour

120g margarine

Tbsp water

Filling

500g cooked pumpkin

2 eggs

110g sugar

1 tsp nutmeg

1 tsp ginger

1 tin condensed milk

Topping

110g Sugar

2x egg whites

Method 

To make the pastry:

-       Pre-heat oven to 200C

-       First, to make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and rub the margarine and flour together to make what almost seem like bread crumbs

-       Combine the water into the mixture gradually to make the dough

-       ‘Flour’ the work top and roll the pastry out to make the base of the pie (8 or 9 inch width pie dish will be fine)

-       Grease the dish and place grease proof paper at the bottom and place the rolled and cut dough into the dish and blind bake for ten minutes; take this out of the oven while you make the filling and topping

-       Separate the egg whites from the yolks and whisk the whites until they form stiff peaks, fold in the sugar and leave to one side

-       Cut up and mash the cooked pumpkin (so that it is still fairly ‘meaty’)

-       Put the mashed pumpkin in a bowl and add the eggs, spices and sugar and mix

-       Add the condensed milk and stir together

-       Put the filling mixture into the semi-baked pastry

-       *If you’re feeling creative make the pastry stars to place on the outside of the pie sticking them on with water and use the leftover egg yolk to cover the pastry stars*

-       Put the pie into the oven and bake for 50 minutes

-       Take it out of the oven and scrape the egg white and sugar mixture on top of the pie to make a flat meringue topping

-       Turn the oven temperature down to 140C and bake for a further 1 ½ hours

-       Let it cool and place in fridge – when ready to eat this tastes great with hot rum and cinnamon coffee 

 Please do share your creative treats and carvings – we’d love to see them!!

By Melodie Walter