Daz Switalla Flavour Secrets No.1 The Strand Chef www.no1thestrand.co.nz

Winter is a good time to do some baking and often we tend to eat all manner of steamed puddings and crumbles.

Seasonal winter vegetables provide us with great bases for soups and casseroles and pumpkin also makes a great dessert. This week's recipe is a well known American favourite: pumpkin pie.

The custard-like, spice scented pie is traditionally served as part of Thanksgiving celebrations, also marking the end of a successful harvest.

In the States pumpkin pie is like our pavlova, with slightly different versions in different states and basically you can buy the pumpkin mix already in the can with all the spices.

The butternut variety suits this recipe as I found it slightly sweeter. Most recipes I found mention using canned pumpkin, but it is not difficult to purée your own.

Pumpkin pie

Pastry

Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups white flour

½ cup wholemeal flour

1tablespoon brown sugar

½ teaspoon of salt

½ cup butter

Iced water

Method

In a food processor mix all the ingredients and then gradually add the ice water until the mixture clings together. Wrap in cling-film and chill while you prepare the filling.

Pie filling

Ingredients

3 eggs

2 cups of cooked pumpkin, mashed

¾ cup of honey

½ teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of ground cloves

1 cup of evaporated milk

Method

Place all ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth then pour into prepared pie shell.

The dough can be rolled out on baking paper then placed in a 8-10 inch pie or flan tin. Don't worry if it breaks, as it can easily be repaired once in the tin. I usually find it not always necessary to pre-bake the crust as some recipes state.

Bake pie at 200 degrees Celsius for 15 minutes then reduce the heat to 180 degrees Celsius and bake for 45 minutes or until pie has set. Serve with whipped cream sweetened with a little honey and enjoy winter's harvest.