There’s something to endearing about fall followed by winters – the crispness to the air makes everything just oh-so-lovely. There exists a sense of romance to wintery nights, warm pyjamas, hot chocolate and earthy spices, with a very good novel. Despite all my snobbery, I guess I am a bit of a romantic deep inside somewhere!
Pumpkin pie isn’t a very common dish in India. I tend to suffer from major nostalgia during the autumn/winter seasons, particularly Christmas (my favourite time of the year!). And of course, the soul tends to want what it cannot!
So in my retaliation to not being where I want to be this season (New York!), I am celebrating my own version of late Thanksgiving / early Christmas with some delicious pumpkin pie.
Pumpkin pie has many versions – with evaporated milk, condensed milk, cream, heavy cream… but I like to use what I have at hand and what’s easiest. This recipe is for a very small batch – 4 mini pies – using 1 egg and just some milk to create a very light custard. I use a much lesser quantity of brown sugar, but add some maple syrup for depth, along with perhaps an excessive amount of spices. I like to serve this at room temperature, with a dash of whipped cream and sprinkling of cinnamon.
The Recipe
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup pumpkin puree
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp clove powder
- 1/2 tsp allspice
- 1/4 tsp nutmeg
- 1 egg
- 1/8 cup milk
- whipped cream
Instructions
- Blind bake the pie crust into 4 mini pies as per instructions.
- Heat the oven to 200C.
- Whisk the egg with the sugar, vanilla, spices and milk or cream.
- Then add the honey and pumpkin puree and combine.
- Pour the filling into the 4 pies till the top.
- Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool before serving.
- Serve at room temperature with some whipped cream and sprinkling of cinnamon.
