Kūmara & orange pie

SERVES 8-10 / PREPARATION 60 MINUTES / COOKING 35 MINUTES

A New Zealand version of the classic pumpkin pie. I like to use a combination of kūmara: orange for its brilliant colour and purple for its more robust flavour. I prefer to steam the kūmara rather than boil as it gets less waterlogged.

500g purple kūmara, peeled 500g orange kūmara, peeled 150ml whole milk 150ml cream

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup brown sugar 1 tablespoon golden syrup 4 eggs

1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 x sweet crust pastry shell, blind baked for

20 minutes (see recipe below)

2 small seedless oranges

1 cup sugar a few sprigs of thyme

Steam the kūmara over boiling water for about 15 minutes or until tender. Cool then place in a food processor with the milk and blend to a smooth purée. Add the cream, salt, brown sugar, golden syrup, eggs, cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg and pulse to combine well. Pour into the pastry shell.

Bake for 30-35 minutes until only slightly wobbly in the centre. Cool for at least 20 minutes before topping with candied orange slices and serving, or cool and refrigerate until ready to serve, bringing to room temperature first.

For the candied orange slices, bring a saucepan of water to the boil. Use a sharp knife to slice the oranges into very thin slices. Add to the boiling water and boil for one minute. Drain and refresh with cold water.

Place the sugar in a saucepan with one cup of water and bring to the boil to dissolve the sugar. Reduce to a low simmer. Add the citrus slices and simmer for 30 minutes. Cool, then add the thyme. Store in the syrup.