AmericanPumpkin pie
Pumpkin pie: silky spiced pumpkin custard in flaky butter pastry, the dessert of American Thanksgiving
No Thanksgiving table from New England to Texas is complete without pumpkin pie, served on the fourth Thursday of November after the turkey and often again for breakfast the next morning. Smooth pumpkin purée is baked into a custard with evaporated milk, brown sugar, eggs and warm spices, in a crisp, flaky butter crust. It contains wheat, egg and milk. Serve it cool with softly whipped cream. The common mistake is overbaking until the whole surface is firm: the custard then cracks and turns grainy. Take it out when the edges are set but a circle about 5 cm wide in the middle still wobbles like jelly; it finishes setting as it cools. Chef's tip: blind-bake the pastry until it is lightly golden before filling, so the bottom stays crisp instead of soggy under the wet custard.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 65 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Serves
- 8
- Per serving
- 330 kcal
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 6 ½ oz plain flourplus a little for rolling
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 ⅞ oz cold unsalted buttercubed
- 4 tbsp iced water
For the filling
- 1 ½ cups evaporated milk
- 5 ½ oz light brown sugar
- 3 eggslarge
- 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ¼ tsp ground cloves
- ½ tsp salt
To serve
- ¾ cup whipping cream (optional)softly whipped
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Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Rub 3 ⅞ oz cold unsalted butter into 6 ½ oz plain flour and ¼ tsp salt with your fingertips until it looks like breadcrumbs with a few pea-sized bits of butter.
Step 2: Sprinkle over 4 tbsp iced water a spoonful at a time, stirring with a knife, until the dough just holds together when squeezed. Flatten into a disc, wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
30 minStep 3: Roll the pastry on a floured surface to 3 mm thick and line a 23 cm pie dish, crimping the edge. Chill for 15 minutes. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan).
15 minStep 4: Line the pastry with baking paper, fill with baking beans or rice and bake for 15 minutes. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 5 minutes more, until the base looks dry and pale golden.
20 minStep 5: Turn the oven up to 425°F (400°F fan). Whisk 15 oz pumpkin purée (tinned or homemade), 1 ½ cups evaporated milk, 5 ½ oz light brown sugar, 3 eggs, 1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon, 1 tsp ground ginger, ¼ tsp ground nutmeg, ¼ tsp ground cloves and ½ tsp salt until completely smooth.
Step 6: Pour the filling into the warm pastry case. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the oven to 350°F (300°F fan) and bake for 30–40 minutes more, until the edges are set and puffed and only the centre 5 cm still wobbles when you nudge the dish. Cover the crust edge with foil if it browns too fast.
50 minStep 7: Cool on a rack for at least 2 hours, then chill. Serve in slices with ¾ cup whipping cream. Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 330 kcal
- Protein
- 7 g
- Carbs
- 40 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does pumpkin pie take?
- About 95 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 65 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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