Ingredients
- • 1 large squash, such as butternut, Crown Prince, onion or pumpkin, (or 1 x 425g tin pumpkin purée)
- • 300 g plain flour
- • 50 g icing sugar
- • 1 orange
- • 150 g unsalted butter
- • 4 large free-range eggs
- • 175 g golden caster sugar
- • 3 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
- • 100 ml double cream
- • 0.75 a teaspoon ground cinnamon
- • 0.5 a teaspoon ground ginger
- • 0.25 a teaspoon ground allspice
- • 1 whole nutmeg
- • 4 tablespoons maple syrup
- • 150 g pecans
- • 200 ml double cream, to serve
- • 0.5 x 200g jar of cranberry sauce, to serve
Steps
- Step 1Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4. Place the squash (or pumpkin) on a baking tray, carefully pierce once or twice with the tip of a sharp knife, then bake in the oven for 1 hour 30 minutes, or until golden and very soft, then transfer to a board to cool completely.
- Step 2For the pastry, mix the flour and icing sugar in a large bowl. Finely grate in the orange zest. Chop the butter into cubes, then rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
- Step 3Beat and stir in 1 egg, then gently scrunch the dough into a ball – be careful not to overwork it. Wrap and rest in the freezer or fridge for 30 minutes.
- Step 4Slice the pastry lengthways into pieces just under 1cm thick, then distribute around the sides and base of a 26cm loose-bottomed tart tin. Use fingertips to press them together really well and create one piece of pastry, letting it bulge above the brow of the tin (don’t worry if it’s not perfect, just try to create a fairly even layer). Place in the freezer to chill while you crack on with the filling.
- Step 5Once the squash (or pumpkin) is cool enough to handle, remove the stalk and, using a knife and tongs, carefully slice lengthways, down the middle. Scoop out the seeds and put aside for tasty cooking another day, then weigh out 400g-450g of squash flesh (check out the tips below for leftover ideas).
- Step 6Whiz the flesh in a food processor until smooth with the remaining egg yolks (reserving the whites for later), sugar, vanilla bean paste, double cream, ground spices, a good few gratings of nutmeg and a pinch of sea salt.
- Step 7In a clean bowl, whisk the reserved egg whites with a pinch of salt until stiff glossy peaks form. Fold the squash/pumpkin mixture into the egg whites and pour into the pie crust.
- Step 8Bake at the bottom of the oven for 45 minutes, or until the filling is set and the top slightly cracked. Transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
- Step 9For the praline, line a small baking tray or plate with greaseproof paper. Place the maple syrup in a small non-stick frying pan on a medium heat and bring to the boil. Add the pecans and cook for 1 minute, and when nicely coated and golden, carefully pour onto the greaseproof paper and leave to set.
- Step 10Place the cranberry sauce in a bowl, then squeeze and stir in half the orange juice to loosen. In a separate bowl, whip the double cream until soft peaks form, then fold through the cranberry sauce mixture.
- Step 11Slice up the pie, then bash up and sprinkle over the praline (I sometimes like to decorate with whole pecans, too) and serve with dollops of cranberry cream.