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Since Thanksgiving is an American tradition, Pumpkin Pie isn’t a ‘thing’ in Malta. I’ve seen it so many times in movies and shows that I got curious and had to try it. I was pleasantly surprised. Pumpkin Pie is delicious, has the perfect Autumn spices and is so light, you might just help yourself to several servings. The shortcrust pastry is flaky and made with only 3 ingredients. The pumpkin pie filling is custard based and made with condensed milk. It is usually served with freshly whipped cream which makes it the most refreshing creamy pie I’ve ever tasted. This pumpkin pie recipe is made from scratch with homemade pumpkin puree but you can use canned if you’d prefer.

Pumpkin Pie Troubleshooting: 3 steps to a perfect result

With custard-based fillings, such as pumpkin pie, things don’t always go as planned. Cracked on top, shrunken, watery or sunken filling, you name it. There’s usually 3 reasons for this happening. 1) Varying oven temperatures. 2) It was over-baked. 3) It was cooled down too quickly.

There’s a simple solution to each. First, make sure you pre-heat the oven. Second, check on the pie at the last 5 minutes of baking. It should have a wobbly texture but still firm. Switch it off as soon as it reaches this stage. Third, do not take out of the oven immediately. Let it come to room temperature slowly with the oven door open for a few minutes. With this method and recipe, you should have a fool-proof perfect pumpkin pie.

How to: Homemade Pumpkin Puree

I made the pumpkin pie from scratch because we don’t really have canned pumpkin in stores here. I can’t tell you if it makes a difference to do it this way since I’ve never tried canned puree. What I can say is that from experience, anything homemade is ALWAYS better. So, to make homemade pumpkin puree, just roast the diced sugar pumpkin for 25 minutes at 200°c. Then blend until it turns into a puree. That’s it!

As always, let me know if you make it, I’d love to see!

Happy indulging,

Kim x

Yield: 8 servings

Pumpkin Pie Recipe from scratch

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Delicious and creamy Pumpkin Pie recipe from scratch with homemade pumpkin puree. Completely fool-proof recipe with a perfect appearance and taste.

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Chill Time 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time 2 hours 45 minutes

Ingredients

Shortcrust Pastry

• 2 cups plain flour (250g)
• 1/2 cup cold butter, grated (125g / 1 stick)
• 1 large egg
• 20 ml cold water, if needed
• 1 egg white, to brush pie base

Pumpkin Pie Filling

• 2 3/4 cup pumpkin puree
• 3/4 can condensed milk (100g)
• 3/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 a tsp of each spice:
• (salt, black pepper, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves & allspice)
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp cornflour

Whipped Cream

• 200ml whipped cream, cold
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions

1. Use a pastry blender tool to combine the cold butter and the flour until clumps form. Add the egg and keep mixing until combined. Add some cold water if needed. Cover pastry in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes.
2. Preheat the oven to 200°c. Roll out the pastry to a round shape of even thickness. Lightly oil the pie dish. Transfer the dough into the dish and trim the overhang, leaving an inch at the edge. Tuck it neatly to the back of the dough and crimp.
3. Brush the pie base with the egg white. Prick the dough with a fork, cover with parchment paper and fill with pie weights. Blind bake for around 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and bake for another 5 minutes. Take the pie crust out.
4. Lower the oven temperature to 190°c. Mix all the pumpkin filling ingredients together, except for the egg and cornflour. Taste it and add more spices if needed. Then, add the egg and cornflour and mix thoroughly.
5. Fill the pie with the pumpkin mixture, cover the crust edges with foil and bake for another 45 - 50 minutes until slightly wobbly in the centre. Do not over bake or it will crack. Open the oven door fully and let it adjust to the temperature for a few minutes before transferring to a cooling rack. Let cool completely until it sets.
6. Whisk the whipped cream to soft peaks. Add the sugar and vanilla and whisk until stiff. Chill for at least 1 hour until it firms up enough to pipe. Slice the pie and serve with whipped cream.
7. Enjoy!

Notes

Pie Dish size: Approx. 12" / 30cm.

Pumpkin Puree: To make homemade puree, roast the diced sugar pumpkin for 25 minutes at 200°c. Then blend until it's completely smooth.

Storage: Store baked pie in a refrigerator for up to 3 days. Pie dough can be prepped and frozen for up to a month.