Homemade

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Homemade Pumpkin Pie Recipe

This wonderful recipe with the delicious homemade touch makes 8 generous serves.

This is not suitable for freezing

While this delicious homemade pumpkin pie recipe is simple, it does take time to attend to the little fiddly bits, which is unavoidable when you're handling pastry.

Just Add	Prepare
• 3 sheets store bought pastry • 2 1/2 pounds / 1.2 kg pumpkin • 6 oz/180 gm Feta cheese • 2 ts cumin seeds • Egg white from 1 egg, lightly beaten • freshly ground pepper to taste	• Preheat oven to 425F/200C • Cut a round of pastry, using the base of the springform pan as a template, and leaving a generous margin of about 3/4 inch. • Drop the sheet into the pan and press down so that it lines the base and part of the wall of the spring form pan. Use a pair of scissors to snip the sheet of dough (like dress darts) so that it lies flat when vertical. • Cut the second sheet into 3's. Use them to line the walls of the baking tin/springform pan. To join layers of pastry, moisten the edges with a little water then layer then join the sheets. • Brush with egg wash and bake for 10 minutes. The egg wash creates a barrier so that the filling does not later make the pie crust soggy. • In the meantime, prepare the pumpkin by removing the skin and seeds. Cut into chunks • Place into a sauce pan with a cup salted water. Boil for 8 - 10 minutes on high. The pumpkin should be cooked but not overly soft. It should have some texture for a "heartier" mouth feel. • Drain the pumpkin. • The baked base should be ready at this stage. Remove it from the oven to cool. If you've used puff pastry, it will rise. That's fine. just cut little snips in the base with a pair of kitchen scissors in 3 - 4 spots and press the baked sheet back down. • Fill with 1/2 the pumpkin mixture. Then layer with 1/2 the feta cheese. Sprinkle over cumin seeds and cracked pepper. • Layer a second layer of pumpkin then feta and finish with a layer of pumpkin, putting more toward the center so that it looks like a mound. • Top with the third sheet of pastry. Trim to fit and decorate with extra bits of dough. Brush with beaten egg white. • Bake for 20 minutes till golden brown.

Pastry recipes are best eaten immediately while the pastry is crunchy.



Tips

Short crust or puff? You can use whatever you have in the freezer. If you'd like something more presentable, puff pastry is preferred or for a heartier meal, use double layers of short crust.

Apply egg wash liberally. This helps the browning process.

I like a firm "mouth feel" but if your family prefer pumpkin to be softer, cook the pumpkin a few minutes more and mash it before filling the pie shell.

The cooking time and amount of cooking water for pumpkin depends on the variety used. Butternut squashes are a little sweeter and take less time to cook.

~~~~~~~~~~~ Enjoy this super simple homemade pumpkin pie recipe.

Homemade really is best!