Perfect Pumpkin Pie

Method

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas mark 6.
2. Halve pumpkin and scoop out seeds and stringy portions. Cut pumpkin into chunks. In a saucepan over medium heat, cover the pumpkin with water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until tender. Drain, cool and remove the peel.
3. Return pumpkin to the saucepan and mash with a potato masher. Drain well, and measure 500g of the mashed pumpkin; reserve any excess pumpkin for another use.
4. Prepare pastry by mixing together the flour and salt. Rub butter into flour, and add 1 tablespoon cold water to the mixture at a time. Mix and repeat until pastry is moist enough to hold together.
5. With lightly floured hands, shape pastry into a ball. On a lightly floured board, roll the pastry out to barely a .25cm thickness. Transfer to a 20 or 23cm pie dish, gently pressing pastry into the bottom. Cut off any excess pastry hanging over the sides of the dish, and pinch pastry securely around the inner edge.
6. In a large bowl with mixer speed on medium, beat pumpkin with evaporated milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Mix well. Pour into a prepared pie dish. Bake 40 minutes or until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.