Classic Sweet Pumpkin Pie

If you’re anything like me, you have an abundance of pumpkins during the growing season (in fact it’s way beyond abundance, but that’s a whole other story). I’m always on the lookout for fun ways to make good use of my harvest, and what better way than a pie that can be shared with friends and family.

A tradition in America for thanksgiving, pumpkin pie is not so well known in Australia….but that may change once you try this recipe! The filling is smooth-textured, mildly sweet and lightly spiced, and balances perfectly with the short pastry. This recipe makes a *lot* of filling; you’ll have enough for one enormous pie, 2 medium-sized pies or 24 mini pies.

You can make your own pastry (see our yummy recipe below), or buy it ready-made to save time. Here I show you both ways. I bought some commercial mini pie cases and they worked brilliantly. If you’re choosing this quicker route, all you need to make is the filling.

Here’s How to Make It

Select your pumpkin then peel and chop it. The pieces don’t need to be too small, as they’ll be getting mashed once cooked. Steam or boil the pumpkin for 15 minutes or until completely softened. Steaming is preferable to boiling as it prevents the pumpkin taking on extra moisture.

While the pumpkin is cooking, start making the pastry. Blend the cold butter, icing sugar, flour and nut meal briefly in a food processor until a fine crumb is formed (you can make your own nut meal by blitzing whole nuts in the food processor). Add the egg yolk and process until combined. Don’t over-do it! Flour a chopping board then hand-knead the dough briefly. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 10 minutes.

Once the pumpkin is cooked through, put it in a colander in the sink to cool. (I used a fine-meshed colander because it will drain any excess moisture plus I can use it for the next step). Take the pastry out of the fridge, roll it out gently on a floured board then line your pie dish with it. Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Top the pastry with a layer of baking paper (parchment) and dry rice (dried beans or pastry weights also work here), and bake in the oven for 10 mins on 180C (355F). Next, prepare the cooled pumpkin. Over a large mixing bowl, use a spoon or similar to mash it through a fine sieve. This is something of a time-consuming process which you could technically skip, but I recommend you do it because it makes a big difference to the final consistency. After 10 mins, remove the pastry from the oven and take off the rice and baking paper. Return the pastry to the oven and bake a further 10 minutes.

Mix the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients in separate bowls, then mix both together. The resulting filling mixture should be smooth, thick, and glossy.

Once your filling is made, all you need do is fill your pastry and bake the pies. I filled my mini cases and pre-baked pie shell and baked both at the same time. Larger pies need about 40 minutes, small individual pies cook in around 20 minutes.

Pies are cooked when the filling appears set and a skewer comes out clean. If making a large pie, cool it completely before removing it from the pie dish.