Prune, Pine Nut and Pumpkin Pie

How to make Prune, Pine Nut and Pumpkin Pie Recipe - The soft and brous texture of prunes allows them to blend with the strong taste of the spiced pumpkin filling, while pine nuts give a unique savour. Serve with a rhubarb compote and whipped cream.

MAKES A 20CM ROUND PIE, SERVING 8 PEOPLE

PASTRY:
½ quantity of Basic Sweet Pastry
1 egg beaten with 1 tbsp water, for egg wash

PUMPKIN FILLING:
250g pumpkin purée (cooked and puréed in a blender or mashed
then pressed through a fine sieve)
50g soft brown sugar
2 eggs
100g evaporated milk
pinch of salt
¼ tsp mixed spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
few drops of vanilla extract
1 tbsp rum
100g soft eating prunes

ROASTED PINE NUTS:
30g pine nuts

GLAZE:
1 quantity of Apricot Glaze

Method:
Make a half-quantity of Basic Sweet Pastry the day before and store wrapped in the refrigerator. (Alternatively, you can make the full recipe, use what you require and then wrap the rest in plastic wrap and freeze for later use.) On a lightly floured surface, roll out the pastry to approximately 3mm thick and cut a circle slightly larger (approximately 23cm in diameter) than the 20cm flan ring in which it will be baked. Line the flan ring with the pastry and trim off the top edges with a sharp knife. Line the pastry with aluminium foil and fill with baking blind material. Set aside on a baking tray for at least 30 minutes to relax the pastry.

Bake blind in a preheated 180°C oven for approximately 20 minutes or until light golden-brown in colour. Remove the foil and weights and immediately brush with egg wash to seal the pastry case. Return to the oven and bake to set the egg wash, about 2 minutes.

Combine all the Pumpkin Filling ingredients except the prunes into a mixing bowl and, using a hand whisk, mix together until well combined and smooth. Don’t over-whisk as you don’t want too much air to be incorporated. Set aside.

Place the pine nuts in a heavy frying pan over a medium heat. Slowly roast in the pan, moving them all the time, until light amber in colour. Alternatively, place the pine nuts on a baking tray and roast in a preheated 150°C oven.

Pour the pumpkin filling into the baked pastry case, right up to the top. Insert the prunes evenly into the filling, ensuring they are covered, then sprinkle the top with the roasted pine nuts.

Bake in a preheated 160°C oven for 20–25 minutes or until filling has just set and is still a little wobbly. Cool before removing from the tin. Brush with hot Apricot Glaze and allow to set before cutting.

Prune, Pine Nut and Pumpkin Pie