Kilduff Pumpkin Pie

Makes one pie

Ingredients For the pastry

100g pecans (optional but delicious) 150g plain flour;

75g unsalted butter at room temperature; 50g icing sugar; 1 large egg

For the filling

450g freshly roasted & cooled pumpkin, flesh only

2 tsp honey (plus extra honey for pumpkin seed brittle) 150ml evaporated milk; 150ml double cream 100g soft brown sugar

1 tbsp cornflour

1 tsp mixed spice; ½ tsp ginger powder; ½ tsp grated nutmeg; ½ tsp cinnamon powder; ¼ tsp ground cloves

Salt and pepper

3 large eggs

Method For the pastry

Heat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 10in pie dish with butter. Blitz the pecans in a food processor or finely chop. Add the flour, butter and icing sugar to the pecans and blend until the pastry starts to crumb. Add the whole egg and blend until it forms one giant ball. Put the pastry mix straight into the prepared pie dish. With your hands, gently push the pastry mix evenly into the edges and around the base of the dish. Prick the pastry with a fork, cover and rest in fridge for 20 minutes. Cover pastry with tin foil and line with baking beans. Blind bake for 20 minutes.

For the filling

Cut the pumpkin in half, scoop out the seeds (saving them for later), cut into quarters and place on a baking sheet, face down, skin up. Bake at 180°C for 30-40 minutes, until soft. Place the cooled pumpkin (flesh only, no skin), honey, evaporated milk and double cream into a food processor and blend until you have a smooth purée. Add the sugar, cornflour, spices, salt and pepper. In the final stages blend in the eggs. Pour the mix into the pumpkin pastry shell. Take care not to overfill the dish, 3/4 full is perfect. Bake the pie in the preheated oven for 50-55 mins. About halfway through, when top of pie has set, cover pie with tin foil. Decorate pie with honey pumpkin seeds (bake seeds in oven at 180°C for 15 minutes with 2 tbsp honey and a dash of water).