Pumpkin pie with cinnamon cream

Ingredients:

For the Pumpkin Pie

500 g ready-made sweet shortcrust pastry

1lb of pumpkin, quartered

¼ tsp ground mixed spice

¼ tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3 tbsp maple syrup

2 tbsp dark brown sugar

3 large free-range eggs, beaten

200ml double cream

For the cinnamon cream

200ml double cream

1tbsp caster sugar

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 170°c.


2. Place your quartered pumpkin on a baking tray then sprinkle with your spices and pour over the maple syrup. Cover with tinfoil then bake the pumpkin for 45mins - 1 hour or until tender, then remove from the oven and leave to cool.


3. Whilst the pumpkin is cooling, increase the oven temperature to 200C then roll the pastry out on a floured surface until it is about 1/2 cm thick. Take a 22cm loose-bottomed tart tin and line it with your rolled out pastry.


4. Place a large piece of baking paper in the middle of the pastry then pour in some baking beans, rice or coins - these will act as weights and prevent the pastry from rising. Blind bake the pastry for 12-15 minutes until lightly golden brown. Then, carefully remove the paper and weights and return it to the oven for a further 5 minutes to dry out the bottom of the pastry case. Once cooked remove from the oven and set to one side.


5. Once the pumpkin is cold, scoop out the flesh with a spoon. You need around 600-700g of cooked pumpkin. Place the weighed pumpkin flesh into a food processor along with any juices from the roasting tray.


6. Blend the pumpkin until smooth then add the eggs, 2tbsp of sugar and the cream. Blend once more until everything is incorporated, then pour the mix into the prepared pastry case and bake for 45 minutes. You want the edges to be set and the middle to have a very slight wobble. Remove from the oven and allow to cool then serve with your cinnamon cream


7. For the cinnamon cream whisk the cream, icing sugar and cinnamon to soft peaks then serve with your pumpkin pie.