PUMPKIN PIE RECIPE

Hi Guys,

Here is the recipe for the pumpkin pie we made for Halloween! This pie is not only great for Halloween, but for Christmas too because of its warm spices and nutty flavour! We got this from The Barefoot Contessa's foolproof cookbook by Ina Garten, its easy to make and so yummy!

What you will need:

A sweet pie crust 

Filling: 

1can pumpkin puree (or 1 sweet pumpkin)

½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed 

¼ cup granulated sugar 

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon 

¼ teaspoon ground ginger 

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg 

½ teaspoon kosher salt 

2 teaspoons grated orange zest 

3 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten 

1 cup heavy cream 

1/2 cup whole milk 

2 tablespoons dark rum, such as Mount Gay 

Rum Whipped Cream (recipe follows)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 

Line an 11-inch pie pan with the unbaked pie crust and place it on a sheet pan. Line the crust with parchment paper. Fill the paper with the beans and bake the crust for 15 minutes, until the edges start to brown. Remove the beans and paper, prick the crust all over with the tines of a fork, and bake for another 5 minutes. 

Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. 

So for the recipe you will need pumpkin puree, but unfortunately I haven't yet found anywhere in Malta that sells it. So, I made my own :) It's very important to use a sugar pumpkin and not a large regular pumpkin. If you use a regular pumpkin, the pie will end up very tasteless and "stringy". For those who don't know what a sugar pumpkin is, its very small and round, like the image below. 

To puree the pumpkin, you first have to cut off the top, and cut the rest of it in half. Remove all the seeds and bits. Line a baking tray with paper and place the two halves flat side down on the tray and bake for 35 minutes. Once you see that the pumpkin halves are browning and peeling, it is safe to remove them from the oven. Once cooled, it should be very easy to peel the skin off. Cut up the pumpkin is small cubes and puree it in a mixer. You can store this in a container, and you have fresh pumpkin puree instead of canned :) 

Once you have you puree ready, in a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, orange zest, eggs, cream, milk, and rum. Pour the filling into the baked pie shell. Bake for 55 to 65 minutes, until the filling is just set in the middle and knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Set as side to cool completely. Serve with the rum whipped cream. 

Rum Whipped Cream 
Serves 8 to 10 

1 cup cold heavy cream 
3 tablespoons sugar 
1 tablespoon mascarpone or crème fraiche 
1 tablespoon good dark rum, such as Mount Gay 
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 

Place the cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat on medium speed for 1 minute. Add the sugar, mascarpone, rum, and vanilla and beat on medium-high until it forms soft peaks. Serve with the pumpkin pie, and dig in!

This pie is perfect for tea time on a rainy day like today, it's warming and yummy! Sorry about the last image, forgot to take a photo before we dug into it! Everyone should try this for Autumn/Winter, its delicious! If anyone does try it out, please tag us on our Facebook page or on our personal Instagram accounts (seen on this page). We would love to see your takes on the recipe! 

Much love, 

En and Stef x