Pumpkin Pie

Method

1. Dust the counter and rolling pin lightly with flour and roll the dough out 3 mm thick, about 3 cm wider all round than your 14 cm tart or pie pan. Lift it into the pan and press it firmly into the bottom corners and up the sides. Trim, leaving 1 cm hanging over the rim, then fold that under to make a thick edge. Prick the base all over with a fork and chill it in the fridge for 20 min; cold dough shrinks much less in the oven.

   Add in this stepPlain flour, for dusting 1 tbspShortcrust pie dough (homemade or store-bought chilled) 140 g

2. While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 190 °C for 15 min, with a rack in the middle.

   oven

3. Crumple a sheet of baking paper, open it out, lay it over the chilled crust and fill it to the rim with dried beans or rice as pie weights. Bake in the oven at 190 °C for 12 min, then carefully lift out the paper and weights and bake 4 min more, until the base looks dry and pale golden. This blind-baking stops a soggy bottom. Take it out and lower the oven to 170 °C.

   oven

4. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves and salt until there are no lumps. Whisk in the beaten egg, then slowly pour in the evaporated milk, stirring until smooth. Stir rather than beat, so you don't whip in lots of bubbles.

   Add in this stepPumpkin purée (plain canned, not spiced pie filling) 160 gLight brown sugar 55 gGround cinnamon ½ tspGround ginger ¼ tspGround nutmeg 1 pinchGround cloves 1 pinchSalt 1 pinchEggs, beaten and weighed (about 50 g per egg) 50 gEvaporated milk (unsweetened) 120 ml

5. While the crust is still warm, pour in the filling to 5 mm below the edge. Set the pan on the oven rack and bake in the oven at 170 °C for 28 min. It's done when the outer 3 cm is set and only a 3–4 cm circle in the centre still wobbles like jelly when you nudge the pan; a knife pushed in 2 cm from the edge should come out clean. If the crust edge darkens too fast, cover it with a ring of foil.

   oven

6. Cool the pie on a wire rack at room temperature for 1 h 30 min, then cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. The centre finishes setting as it cools, so it slices cleanly; cut it hot and the filling runs.

7. Whip the cream with the powdered sugar in a cold bowl for 2 min, just until soft peaks form. Slice the pie and top each piece with a spoonful of cream.

   Add in this stepHeavy cream (at least 35% fat) 80 mlPowdered sugar 1 tsp