Better Homes And Gardens 18oz Spiced Pumpkin Pie

COOK'S TIP
An easy way to cook a whole pumpkin, skin and all, is to roast it in the oven at 180°C (350°F/gas 4) for 1 hour. Once cooked, simply cut off the top, remove the seeds and use the cooked pumpkin for this and other recipes, such as risottos and salads. The pumpkin will last a week in the fridge and you can dip into it whenever you need it!

Ingredients

Serves 6-8

For the pastry

250

g (9 oz/2 cups) plain (all-purpose) flour

pinch of salt

pinch of sugar

115

g (4 oz) vegan butter, chopped into small pieces, plus extra for greasing

ml (2 fl oz/1⁄4 cup) plant milk (I like oat milk)

For the filling

480

g (1 lb 1 oz) pumpkin purée (see Cook's Tips below)

120

g (4 oz/11⁄4 cups) ground almonds (almond meal)

100

g (31⁄2 oz/1⁄2 cup) brown or coconut sugar

100

ml (31⁄2 fl oz/scant 1⁄2 cup) plant milk

g (2 oz) vegan butter

g (2 oz/1⁄2 cup) plain (all-purpose) flour

cm (3⁄4 in) piece of ginger root, peeled and grated

teaspoon ground cinnamon

teaspoon ground cardamom

⁄2 teaspoon ground cloves

⁄2 teaspoon baking powder

To serve

280

ml (10 fl oz/11⁄4 cups) whippable plant cream

tablespoon maple syrup

vanilla pod (bean), split and the seeds scraped out, or 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract

Method

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/gas 4). Grease a cake or pie pan (with a removable base so the pie will come out easily) with some butter.

Step 2

Make the pastry by adding all the dry ingredients to a bowl. Use your hands to rub the chopped butter into the flour mix. Then add the milk little by little and mix well to form a dough. You can either use the pastry straightaway or, if you have time, rest it somewhere warm for 15–20 minutes. Alternatively, keep in the fridge overnight.

Step 3

Roll the pastry dough into a disc that's larger than the base of the cake/pie pan, with enough to go up the sides. Put the pastry in the pan and use your index fingers and thumbs to press into the base and sides so it lines the whole pan. Trim off any excess dough that comes over the edges with a knife. You can use the excess dough to create a criss cross pattern on top of the pie if you like.

Step 4

Prick the base of the pastry with a fork and pre-cook in the oven for 10 minutes.

Step 5

Meanwhile, add all the ingredients for the filling to a food processor or blender and blitz until well combined.

Step 6

When the pie case is ready, remove from the oven and add the pumpkin filling. Smooth the filling flat with a palette knife, then bake in the oven for 45 minutes.

Step 7

While the pie is baking, whip the cream with the maple syrup and vanilla. Chill in the fridge until you are ready to serve.

Step 8

Once the pie is ready, remove from the oven and allow to cool completely before serving with the whipped cream.