Pumpkin Pie√

I used Seminole Pumpkins for this pie - it's a Florida pumpkin that grows like a weed. It has a delicious, dark orange flesh that is perfect for pumpkin pies. This is Delia Smith's recipe and it's divinely creamy. The molasses is a brilliant touch. I used ready-made graham crust shells from the supermarket - these worked perfectly. This recipe made two pies one of which we ate a couple of hours before dinner and one a couple of hours afterwards with a cup of tea and some leftovers!

1 lb (450 g) pureed pumpkin flesh
2 large eggs plus 1 yolk (reserve the white)
1 tablespoon molasses
3 oz (75 g) soft dark brown sugar
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
10 fl oz (275 ml) double cream

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

Now for the filling.
Whisk the eggs and extra yolk together in a large bowl.
Add the molasses, the sugar, spices, the cream and the pumpkin purée.
Pour the filling into the shells and bake for 45-60 minutes, by which time it will puff up a bit around the edges but still feel slightly wobbly in the center.
Remove it from the oven and place the tin on a wire cooling rack.
Serve with a little whipped cream or vanilla ice cream (or both!)

Note: The original recipe has ground allspice, nutmeg and ginger in it but I didn't have any of these so I added more cinnamon and some vanilla essence - this turned out to be perfectly perfect!