2. Cloves - Pumpkin Pie

It's that time of year when pumpkins and squashes are in abundance so what better way to use them than in a sweet and spicy pumpkin pie (well, butternut squash pie to be precise). This was unknown territory for me and after a couple of hours of researching various recipes I was very pleased to see The Guardian's article on the perfect pumpkin pie. For this recipe I have combined little bits of various recipes and, despite a bit of a soggy bottom, I was really pleased with the results.

Ingredients

For the pastry

500g plain flour
100g icing sugar
250g cold butter, cut into cubes
Zest of 1 lemon
2 large free range eggs
A splash of milk

For the filling

1 butternut squash
145g maple syrup
1tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp all spice
2 large free range eggs
150ml evaporated milk

Method

Start by preparing the butternut squash. To make it easier to cut up, I put the butternut squash in a large pan with about 10cm of water. Bring to the boil, cover with a lid and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until you can pierce the skin with ease with a fork. Remove from the heat, drain and allow to cool.

Next, prepare the pastry. This recipe made twice the amount I needed for the pie so I put the other half in the freezer for another time. The key here is to keep everything (including your hands) cold. Take a large bowl and sift the flour and sugar into it. Using your fingers, rub in the cubes of butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Don't work the mixture too much as the warmth of your hands will warm up the butter. A Jamie Oliver tip is to run your hands under the cold tap for a few moments if you feel they're too warm.

Mix in the lemon zest and then add the eggs and milk. Work it together with your hands until the dough forms a ball. Don't work the dough too much or you'll end up with a chewy pastry rather than one that is crumbly, short and melt in the mouth. Flour it lightly, pat slightly and place in a polythene bag/wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge for at least an hour.


Now back to the squash. Once it has cooled you need to peel, slice in half, remove the seeds and cut into equal sized chunks. Place in a steamer over a few centimetres of water and steam until tender.

Once tender place the chunks into a plastic jug/other suitable container and use a hand blender to make a puree. Place the puree in a fine sieve or in a piece of muslin and leave to drain over a bowl for at least an hour, longer if you have the time.

Next job is to line a 20cm pie dish with the pastry. On a lightly floured surface roll out the pastry to the thickness of a £1 coin. Remember to only use half of the dough if you have followed the recipe above. Lift into the dish, push to the edges and run the rolling pin over the top of the dish to remove any excess pastry hanging over the sides. Chill again for 30 minutes. While that's chilling, preheat the oven to 200C/180C fan oven/gas mark 6.

Prick the base all over with a fork and line the pastry case with baking parchment. Weigh this down with baking beans/rice/lentils and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and the beans and bake for a further 5 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Remove from the oven and turn the oven down to 180C/160C fan oven/gas mark 3.

By this stage the squash puree should have been draining for about an hour. Mix the puree with the syrup and spices. Beat in the eggs followed by the evaporated milk to give a thick and creamy consistency. Pour into the pastry case and bake in the oven for about 40 minutes checking after the first 25 minutes or so to make sure it retains a slight wobble.

Remove from the oven and once cooled slightly remove from the dish and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

The result was a spicy eggy custard sitting atop a buttery pastry. I don't think the photo does it justice. The one disappointing thing about pumpkin pie is the loss of the beautiful bright orange colour of the pumpkin/squash but, I would say, it's worth it.