This Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe is so light. The pumpkin pie crust is cooked in advance, so assembling the pie is quick at the end.
This particular Fresh Pumpkin Pie Recipe calls for roasted butternut. This gives the pie a lovely rich, nutty intensity. There are two ways of roasting the butternut, both of which can be prepared in advance. Either you can place the whole butternut squash in a moderate oven and bake it on a baking tray for about an hour. Remove it from the oven. Cut it open and discard the seeds. Then scoop out the flesh which you will use in this recipe.
The other option is the one that I favor. It is a little more work up front, but quicker in the long run. Peel the butternut. People tend to hack away at butternut squashes with all manner of knives and implements. I find that a simple vegetable peeler does the job well, plus it saves my fingers from getting chopped off! Simply peel along the length of the butternut. Next, chop the butternut into cubes, discarding the seeds. Place the cubes on an oiled baking tray. Massage a little oil over the butternut cubes and roast them in a moderate oven. Simple!
Easy Preparation time for butternut: 10 minutes Preparation time for pie: 5 minutes Cooking time: 40 minutes Serves 8
Ingredients:
1 Easy Pie Crust Recipe, baked blind (see below) 14oz / 400g roasted butternut 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 ground ginger 1 teaspoon vanilla essence 3 eggs 1 cup fresh single cream 1 tablespoon brandy
Method:
Put the butternut, sugar, cinnamon, ginger and vanilla essence into a food processor and blend until the mixture is smooth. Add the eggs and cream and blend again. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for about 40 minutes. If the sides of the pie are browning too much, you can cover them with some tin foil. This allows the filling to cook without the pastry becoming burnt. The pie is ready when the filling is no longer sloppy, but just firm. A knife inserted into the centre should come out almost clean. Avoid overcooking the pie - remember that this is essentially a custard, so the filling should be a little wobbly. Remove from the pie tin and serve with cream.
Easy Pie Crust Recipe
This Easy Pie Crust Recipe is very good with sweet or savory fillings. It is "short" but easy to handle.
The Easy Pie Crust Recipe is easily made if you have a food processor. Just be aware that you shouldn't over-process the pastry otherwise it will become heavy. However, it is also very easily made by hand.
It is important that the butter is cold, but not brick hard. With regards to the water, I usually just plunk a couple of ice cubes in a cup of water, and then use what I need. Try to keep your work space as cool as possible, making pastry before the heat of the day. Even your hands should be cold, although this is a tall order! For years I didn't understand the mystery around keeping everything so cold - but it is really quite logical. You don't want the butter to melt and become difficult to handle. One of the tricks is to work very fast - this also prevents one over-working the pastry.
A note on "resting" the pastry: wheat flour contains a protein called gluten. Interestingly, this word is derived from the Latin "gluten" meaning "glue." As you roll the pastry, the gluten strands stretch. If you cook your pastry straight away, the strands contract or shrink and you land up with hard pastry - like tough glue! To counteract this, you need to "rest" the pastry. This means that the strands relax and there is less chance of the pastry shrinking when it is cooked. You will also end up with a lighter, crisper pastry.
Easy Preparation time: 10 minutes Resting time: 1 - 2 hours Cooking time: about 20 minutes
Ingredients:
8oz / 225g / 1½ cups flour 5oz / 125g cold butter, diced ¼ cup iced water ¼ teaspoon salt 1 egg, beaten (for an egg wash)
Method:
Rub the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the salt and then gradually add the iced water. Mix until the dough just comes together. Don't over-handle it. Wrap the dough in grease-proof paper and refrigerate for at least half an hour, and longer if possible. If the pastry is brick hard when you are ready to roll it, allow it to soften slightly at room temperature. But, avoid it becoming warm. Using a floured board, roll the pastry into a circle (or other desired shape). Roll in the same direction. I flip my pastry over a couple of times so that it doesn't stick to the board. When the pastry is about an eighth inch / ¼ cm thick, roll the pastry onto the rolling pin and place in the pie tin. Rest the uncooked pastry shell in the refrigerator for at least half an hour before cooking.
Baking Blind:
This term refers to baking the pie shell before adding the filling. This is a method that I favor even if I am adding a filling which still has to be cooked. You get a really crisp pastry - not a soggy, half-cooked apology under the filling. If the filling is still to be cooked, for example, a pumpkin pie filling, I cover the edges of the pastry with silver foil. This seems arduous, but in fact, takes no time and is worth the effort. The method is unorthodox but it works - tried and tested over the years!
Pre-heat oven to 400° F / 200° C. Line the pastry case with tin foil and fill it with beans or pastry weights. This will help to stop the sides of the pie shrinking during the cooking process. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and the beans (the beans can be stored for later use). Bake uncovered for a further 10 minutes, until the pastry is golden and slightly crisp. Brush the pastry shell with the egg wash. Place back in the oven for a further 2 minutes until the egg sets. This acts as a kind of barrier and prevents the pastry becoming soggy when the filling is added. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan on a wire rack. The pastry will crisp as it cools. Once the filling has been put into the pie crust, cut the foil into strips and place loosely on the edges of the pastry in order to stop them burning during the cooking process.
No comments:
Post a Comment