truly, madly, sweetly

Pumpkin Pie

I’ve used buttercup squash for this silky-smooth pie filling; it’s lovely and sweet so you don’t need to add too much sugar. The pie lasts three to four days in the fridge.

PASTRY

250 grams plain flour

large pinch salt

1 tablespoon icing sugar

125 grams butter, chilled, cut into cubes

1 large egg, size 7, beaten

1 tablespoon chilled water

EGG WASH

1 large egg, size 7, beaten

FILLING

1 large buttercup squash, peeled, deseeded, chopped into 3cm chunks

2 large eggs, size 7

170 grams soft brown sugar

160ml cream

40ml milk

2 teaspoons cornflour

1¼ teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon each ground nutmeg and salt

⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

pinch cracked black pepper

2 tablespoons raw sugar

EQUIPMENT: 26cm pie tin.

PASTRY: Preheat the oven to 190oC.

In a food processor, blitz the flour, salt, icing sugar and butter until it resembles breadcrumbs. Tip in most of the egg and water and pulse several times until the crumbs start forming lumps. If the mixture still looks dry, add the rest of the liquid. To test if it is processed enough, use your hand to see if the dough can be squeezed together.

While still crumbly, tip onto a clean surface, gather into a ball and knead briefly until smooth. The less handling the better. Flatten the dough into a disc, wrap in greaseproof paper and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Lightly dust a clean surface with flour. Cut off