Pumpkin Pie

Ingredients:

For the dough:

250g plain flour

125g cold butter, diced

1 pinch salt

2-3 tbsp cold water

For the filling:

500g pumpkin puree (homemade or canned)

150g brown sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

250ml unsweetened condensed milk (or double cream)

Instructions:

To make the dough:

In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt.

Add the cold butter and mix with your fingers or a pastry blender until it resembles sandy texture.

Add the cold water, a tbsp at a time, and mix until the dough begins to come together.

Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

Roll out the dough on a floured surface and place in a pie dish. Prick the bottom with a fork. Refrigerate while you prepare the filling.

To make the filling:

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

In a bowl, beat the eggs. Add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices and salt. Mix well.

Add the unsweetened condensed milk (or single cream) and mix until the filling is smooth and even.

Pour the filling over the pie crust.

To bake:

Bake the pie in the preheated oven for about 45 to 55 minutes, until the filling is set. It should be slightly wobbly in the center but firm around the edges.

Let cool to room temperature before serving.

History of Pumpkin Pie:

Pumpkins are native to the New World and their earliest relatives can be traced back 9,000 years to Mexico.  Over time, various forms of the vegetable migrated to the northeast United States, adapting to a cooler climate.  Related to squashes, cucumbers and cantaloupes, pumpkins and their seeds were both a food and medicinal ingredient of Native Americans, who called them 'isquotm squash.'  Typically prepared by cutting into strips and drying or roasting on coals over an open fire, this autumn squash was an important staple of winter survival.

The first version of pumpkinpie originated when British colonists sliced off the top of the pumpkin, removed its seeds, and filled the hollow with milk, spices, and honey.  Baked in hot ashes, the end result was a sort of pudding rather than a pie.  When the pumpkin migrated across the Atlantic, it acquired its current name.  The English term for pumpkin originated with the Greek word 'pepon,' or 'cooked by the sun.' The French version, 'pompon,' became the English 'pumpion,' a form found in Shakespeare's 'Merry Wives of Windsor.'

The 17th century French chef François Pierre La Varenne is credited with developing the first recipe for a “pompion” torte around 1650, complete with a pastry crust.  English recipes including various dried fruits and nuts in the filling later followed La Varenne’s prototype.  It was only a century and a half thereafter, in 1796, that a dessert similar to modern pumpkin pie was created in the United States.

Don't forget to order enough of The Bunnery's famously delicious pumpkin pies to get you through the Thanksgiving weekend!  We only make them during the holiday season, so place your order no later than November 19th for Thanksgiving pickup at the restaurant.