Halloween pumpkin pie

Halloween festivities also remind us of pumpkins. The big piles of these pretty plump orange vegetables in supermarkets entice us to try some recipes. If you buy a lot of pumpkins for your kids, try to make masks (kurpitsa lyhty). It would then give you some ideas on how to use those pumpkins in baking.

Here is an easy sweet recipe that you can try for a Halloween party or just something fun to do together with your kids.

Pumpkins first:

For this recipe, you need 2 cups of cooked pumpkin puree, which you could get it from one or more pumpkins depending on the size. Pumpkins nowadays are found in various shapes and sizes, therefore you can buy your favorite ones and use for sweet baking or cooking in dishes such as risotto, soups or stews.

1. Cut the pumpkin cautiously in half by using a sharp knife. Note that pumpkin’s skin can be quite hard.

2. Take the seeds out of the pumpkin with a spoon.

3. Turn the pumpkin cut side down and place it in the oven dish.

4. Bake the pumpkin at 180°C for about 45 minutes, or until soft.

5. Scoop out the pumpkin pulp by using a spoon, blend it in a food processor until pureed.

6. Keep the pumpkin puree aside for the pie filling.

Ingredients:

Pie crust ready-made (piirakka taikina)

For filling:

2 cups pumpkin puree

5 soft dates

⅓ cup maple syrup (or any favorite syrup)

½ cup water

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice (or ginger-bread spice)

3 tablespoons of corn-starch

Pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.

2. Place all the pie filling ingredients in the blender. Blend for about a minute or until smooth.

3. Pour the filling on top of the crust that you have prepared in your oven pie dish.

4. Bake in the oven for about 50 minutes until the crust gets light brown and the top gets solid.

5. Once the pie is out from the oven, let it cool, transfer to the fridge for several hours, so the pie gets completely firm.

6. Drizzle some cinnamon on top, then serve alone with ice-cream or any favorite whipped cream.

Tips:

*There are different versions for pumpkin pie spices, mild or strong. Some people prefer to make their own mixture. You could either use any gingerbread spices of the shops that one can find in ready-mixed in the packages, or try to make your own. Here is one version to try: 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon ground clove, 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg,1/4 teaspoon of cardamom

*It's quite easy to find your favorite pie crust in shops. There's a large variety of ready-made ones including the regular, or milk-free, egg-free, lactose-free, gluten-free, etc.

*Pumpkins vary in taste and texture so you may get different consistency pie every time.