Autumn Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Garnish your Autumn Pumpkin Pie with festive little fall leaves.

Ingredients

Crust
¾ cup all purpose flour
¾ cup cake and pastry flour
1 tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces and then frozen for 10 minutes
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Filling
2 cups pumpkin puree
½ cup packed light brown sugar
3 large eggs
¾ cup evaporated milk
1 ½ teaspoons finely grated fresh ginger
¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
⅛ teaspoon salt
1 egg whisked with 2 tbsp water, for brushing

Directions

Add the butter and pulse it in quick pulses until just small pieces of butter are visible and the mixture as a whole just begins to take on a pale yellow colour (indicating that the butter has been worked in).

Stir the egg yolk, water and lemon juice together and add this to the dough all at once, pulsing until the dough barely comes together (it should look like a crumble dough).

Shape the dough into a disc by hand, wrap and chill for at least 2 hours before rolling

On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough to just under a ¼ inch thick.

Lightly dust a 9-inch pie plate (do not grease) and line the plate with the pastry.

Trim the pastry off to just slightly above the edge of the pie plate and press it down gently to secure, pinching the little bit of pastry crust you have left with your thumb and forefinger to create a nice looking edge to your shell.

Reserve some of the dough to make the autumn leaves. Form the leaves by cutting the leftover bit of pie crust with a knife. Chill the pie shell while preparing the filling. Chill the 'leaves' by placing them on some parchment paper on a plate until they are needed.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Whisk the pumpkin purée, brown sugar and eggs together, then whisk in the evaporated milk, ginger, cinnamon, clove and salt. Pour this into the chilled pie shell.

Brush crust areas with the eggwash.

Place the pie onto a baking tray and bake the pie for 10 minutes at 400 F, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 F and bake the pie for another 35 to 40 minutes, until the pumpkin filling is set, but still has a little jiggle to it in the centre.

Cool the pie to room temperature, then chill completely, about 4 hours, before serving.