Nurture your loved ones this festive season with this homemade delight.
SERVES 8–10
Ingredients
Filling
- 2 cups Kent pumpkin, roasted and cooled
- 5 eggs
- 120ml maple syrup (or honey)
- ½ cup coconut cream (or organic thin cream)
- ½ cup milk of your choice
- 2 tablespoons tapioca flour, arrowroot, or cornflour
- ⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg, plus extra to serve
- 2 teaspoons ground ginger
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cloves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
Pastry
- 200g frozen or chilled butter
- ½ cup quinoa flakes (or rolled oats)
- 1½ cups tapioca flour (or arrowroot)
- 120g almond (or hazelnut) meal
- 100g buckwheat flour, plus extra for dusting
- 2 heaped teaspoons ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
- ½ teaspoon vanilla bean powder
- ⅓ cup maple syrup (or honey), at room temperature
Method
- To make the filling, blend all the ingredients on high for 30 seconds. Cover the bowl and set aside at room temperature while you prepare the pastry.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C. Lightly grease a round 20–23cm pie dish or tin.
- To make the pastry, pop all the ingredients except the maple syrup in a food processor and pulse three or four times, for 3–4 seconds at a time, until the mixture resembles moist sand or breadcrumbs. On low, gradually add the maple syrup over a few seconds, until the mixture forms a dough. If it’s a bit crumbly, add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Dust a clean work surface generously with flour. Transfer the dough to the work surface and shape it into a ball. Place the ball of dough in the prepared pie dish and, using clean fingers, press into the bottom and sides to cover evenly, to about 5mm thickness. Break off any extra dough that comes up over the edges and set aside for making decorative cookies, as in the photo.
- Using a fork, gently prick the pastry bottom all over, about 10 times. Place a sheet of baking paper over the pastry and cover with baking weights or uncooked legumes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 160°C. Add the filling to the pastry and bake for 40–50 minutes, until the centre barely wobbles. Sprinkle with extra nutmeg and serve warm or at room temperature.
- To make decorative cookies, roll the extra dough to about 5mm thick. Cut using a cookie-cutter and spread on a baking tray lined with baking paper. Bake for about 15 minutes then set them aside to cool on the tray. Once ready, decorate your pie as you like it and enjoy!
