Thanks for the Pumpkin Pie

Pumpkin Pie with an apricot twist

Thanksgiving is celebrated on the 4th Thursday in November and has its roots in cultural and religious traditions. It’s a public holiday in Canada too but on the 2nd Monday in October. The most popular Thanksgiving dessert is Pumpkin Pie and Grandma had a recipe for this with dried apricots amongst her collection of old magazine cuttings.

Pumpkin Pie 

Shortcrust pastry

Filling

2-2 ½ lbs/1kg pumpkin

3 level tbsps golden syrup (warmed)

3 tbsps caster sugar

1 oz/25g butter

2 tbsps milk

2 eggs (well beaten)

1 tsps of cinnamon, mixed spice & ground ginger

1 tbsp lemon juice

12-15 dried apricots (soaked in boiling water for 10 minutes)

Peel, remove the pith and seeds and cut the pumpkin into small pieces. Steam for around 20 minutes. Make the Shortcrust pastry and line an 8½ inch/22 cms ovenproof dish with the pastry. 

Bake it blind

Place greaseproof or baking paper on the pastry with a layer of dried beans or peas on top. Bake for 10 minutes in a hot oven 2ooC, Mark 6, 400F.  Mash the pumpkin in a basin, add the other ingredients and mix well. Take the dish out of the oven and remove the paper and dried beans/peas. Pour in the filling, decorate with the strained apricots and return to the oven to bake for about 35 minutes. Serve hot or cold.

Pumpkins are much more popular in here too to make soups and other savoury vegetarian recipes but this is a pleasant way to serve a sweet dish for Happy Thanksgiving Day!