Spicy Pumpkin Pie!

Who likes cloves? I certainly do not. I had a bad experience with clove oil when I had a problem with my wisdom teeth and it has made me hate it ever since. 

Nonetheless, I used the tiniest amount of clove in the pie crust of this pumpkin pie. Hence the name 'spicy' pumpkin pie. To be honest, next time I make this pie, I will be leaving out the clove. Although it's only 1/4 tsp [the recipe actually calls for 3/4 tsp but I used less cause I knew I didn't like it], even that was too much. 

It wasn't bad, per say. It was still really nice! But unless you like the spiciness of cloves, I'd leave it out. My sister couldn't eat the crust - she only ate the filling - and my boyfriend wasn't really a fan but I liked it!

Most recipes call for cloves and the other spices to be in the filling, but this particular recipe has them in the pie crust, which is why it's darker than normal. A nice twist!

So, here comes the recipe:

Ingredients

 Filling

1 can pumpkin puree

400g/14oz canned condensed milk

2 eggs

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp demerara sugar  

Pastry

140g/5oz plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1/4 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 

3/4 tsp grated nutmeg

3/4 tsp ground cloves

50g/1 3/4oz caster sugar

55g/2oz cold unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing

1 egg

Method

1. To make the pastry, grease a 23-cm/9-inch round pie plate with butter. Sift the flour and baking powder in a bowl. Stir in the spices and caster sugar. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then make a well in the centre. Beat the egg and pour in. Mix together with a spoon, then use your hands to shape the dough into a ball.
2. Place the dough on a clean work surface lightly dusted with flour, and roll out to a round large enough to line the pie dish. Use it to line the dish, then trim the edge. Cover the dish with clingfilm and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. 

3. Preheat the oven to 220C/425F/Gas Mark 7. To make the filling, place the pumpkin puree in a large bowl, then stir in the condensed milk and the eggs. Add the salt, then stir in the vanilla extract and demerara sugar.



















4. Pour into the pastry case and bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

It's not a hard recipe! And it doesn't take long either! You just need to let the dough chill for a bit, but you can make the filling whilst you're waiting for that to happen! 

Enjoy! Let me know what you think of the clove!