Pumpkin Pie

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– PRINT RECIPE –

In the brisk, but always steady hands of the Women’s Agricultural Union Ladies, Pumpkin Pie can become a determinedly serious affair, particularly when those red and blue, First Prize rosettes are at stake. This is regrettable, as all the additions and tweaks often dilute the simple purity of the pumpkin. And that is what it is all about, isn’t it? The pumpkin – butternut squash in this case – can do without the Ideal milk, butterscotch syrup and cream and similar embellishments. Keep all of that for pumpkin fritters and their ilk, they are meant for all these exaggerations.

Pumpkin Pie infallibly reminds me of mid-autumn and the blood warm melancholy of Gerard Manley Hopkins’ Pied Beauty:

Glory be to God for dappled things  –

   For skies of couple-colour as a

brinded cow;

   For rose-moles all in stipple upon

trout that swim;

Fresh-firecoal chestnut-falls; finches’

wings;

   Landscape plotted and pieced  –

fold, fallow, and plough;

   And áll trádes, their gear and

tackle trim.

Subsequently, a Wanderlust awakens. A yearning for crisp, early mornings and dusty, shadow-dappled leaf karosses under rust-brown chestnuts lining the lanes and meekly perishing lawns of public parks and spaces. Then onwards, the muted anticipation of fresh-ginger-yellow poplars stately guarding distant roadsides from the almost salmon pink flood of wild Highveld grass in full bloom under the timeless, washed out blue of boundless Free State skies.

What better companions can there be but wedges of cold pumpkin pie, a flask of milky tea, good company, the freedom of the open road and the muted anticipation of the unknown simmering just past the turn ahead? Off, off we go, ins Blaue...

PUMPKIN PIE

The South African Way

– PRINT RECIPE –

Recipe yields:	Preparation time:
8 – 10 Portions	± 120 minutes

Special Equipment Required:

1 x 23cm loose bottomed, metal tart pan

1 x Steamer basket

Ingredients:

Sweet paste ( Pâté sucree )	± 200g
Butternut squash chunks	600g
Cinnamon stick	1 x 5cm piece
Green cardamom seeds	3
Whole cloves	3
Brown sugar	150g
Fresh cream	125ml
Extra large eggs	3
Corn flour ( Maizena )	15ml
Mixed spice	2.5ml
Salt	2.5ml
Fine black pepper	± 0.5ml

Method:

1.   Rub the tart pan thoroughly with full fat margarine, or spray very generously with non-stick food spray. Both the crust and filling contain large quantities of sugar and will stick easily if things go wrong.

2.   Cut two clean, medium sized plastic sheets. Place the sweet paste between the two sheets. Roll the dough carefully until it is approximately 3mm thick. Turn the plastic covered dough frequently through 90 degree turns during the rolling process to produce an even dough sheet. Roll out until the pan fits easily inside the sheet of dough with sufficient dough projecting all around beyond the edge of the pan.

3.   Pull away the top sheet of plastic and place the sheet of dough upside down over the greased tart pan. Adjust until the dough evenly covers the pan and hangs over the sides. Carefully pull the top sheet of plastic away and fully line the inside of the pan with dough. Use a pair of scissors, or sharp utility knife, to cleanly cut away any dough projecting over the top of the pan. Use the off-cuts to cover any uncovered parts of the tin, or repair tears in the dough.

4.   Freeze the prepared tart pan for 60 minutes.

5.   Steam the pumpkin chunks for 25 minutes. Add the cinnamon stick, cardamom seeds and cloves before hand to the water before steaming commences. Remove the steamed pumpkin when done and allow to cool 5 minutes or until manageable.

6.   Blind bake the frozen pie crust for ± 15 – 18 minutes at 180°C in a preheated convection oven (or ± 22 minutes at 190°C in a normal, static oven). The crust will be ready when the top edges turn brown and the dough in the bottom appears puffy and starts to colour. Bake an additional 10 minutes if porcelain baking beads are used.

7.   Use a food processor to puree the steamed pumpkin and cream. Add the eggs and process a further 20 – 30 seconds until everything is thoroughly mixed.

8.   Transfer the puree to a mixing bowl and add all the other ingredients. Whisk thoroughly until the sugar is dissolved.

9.   Pour the filling into the baked pie crust until it rises to within ± 3mm from the top edge of the pie crust. Bake for ± 35 minutes at 165°C in a preheated convection oven (or ± 45 minutes at 180°C in a normal, static oven). The filling will puff up slightly on top and will brown along its circumference.

10.   Shake the pie lightly before removing it from the oven. If the centre still jiggly, it will not be ready. Continue baking for a further 6 – 8 minutes.

11.   The pie will need to bake considerably longer if a deep; glass or porcelain tart pan is used instead of a shallow, metal tart pan. Use the setting of the filling as an indicator for when the pie is ready.

Comments:

·    Butternut squash gives the best flavour, but the normal ‘boerpampoen’ or the so called ‘blue’ (or iron) pumpkin will also work. I suspect Hubbard squash will have an odd taste.

·    Force pumpkin puree through a fine sieve for an ultra smooth and silky pie filling.

·    Add a pinch of fine white pepper, ground cardamom or nutmeg to the uncooked filling for a fuller flavour profile.

·    Use a sharp, thin bladed knife to cut the tart. Wipe the knife blade with a moist, clean cloth between cuts to ensure each slice is neat, sharp and square.

© RS Young, 2017

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Note:

Post updated on 2024.02.21 to include:

1. The updated Recipe for downloading as a PDF file, and

2. Recipe Title and Print Recipe, Recipe Index and Facebook & Pinterest follow links.

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