I Made Pumpkin Pie!!

For a very long time I've been planning on spending my Autumn months making typically American food. Every year I get a pumpkin, but not once have I made the choice to actually make something with it. I just carve a stupid face and watch it burn. (FYI, the smell of burnt pumpkin is not nice).
So, anyway, this year I thought I would actually do something productive with it. Of course, the only thing that sprung to mind was Pumpkin Pie. So, without further a due, here it is!

What you'll need:

Pastry (yes, I did make mine. You can always cheat though and buy it) :
-170g Plain flour
-100g softened butter
-pinch of salt

Filling:
-625g chopped & peeled pumpkin
-2 eggs
-60g light, brown sugar
-3 tbsp golden syrup (or maple if you can afford it!)
-1/2 tsp cinnamon 
-1/2 tsp nutmeg (you can use other spices if you prefer)
-200ml single/double cream - depending on how indulgent you're feeling.

The doing:

- Pre-heat the oven to 190c/375f/gas mark 5


Pastry: Rub the butter and flour together into crumbs; add one or two tbsp's of water to help bind it together. Knead gently, then pop into the fridge to chill for approx. one hour. 
Filling: Chop & peel the pumpkin; boil until soft, blend into a puree and leave to completely chill. 
Once all is chilled; roll out the pasty and lay it into a baking dish. Make sure you grease it well enough, don't want to leave the bottom behind! Mix all of the above ingredients together and pour into the pastry dish. 
I'm aware that I didn't blind bake, which is what you're supposed to do, but I never have done and my pastry has always turned out just fine. 
You can now pop the dish into the oven for approx. 40-50mins; you want the pastry golden brown, and the centre to be set but a little wobbly in the middle still. 

Once it's done, bring it out and let it chill on a wire rack then pop it in the fridge for about an hour before serving. You're best to keep it in the fridge afterwards as well. 

Now, take a step back, marvel at your work and be proud. I was! 

It has to be said, that whenever I think of Autumn I think of what food I can be cooking. Nine times out of 10, it'll be crumble. Possibly the easiest dish ever, but it's a classic belly warmer. 

My constant go-to is Blackberry and Apple. 

I had some blackberries in my fridge which I had no other use for, so it made sense to knock up a crumble. Now, brace yourself for the challenge! Hah!

Ingredients:
-Whatever you want in your crumble!
-I used two cooking apples and a handful of blackberries
-The crumble will need roughly; 4oz butter, 4oz flour and a sprinkling of brown sugar on top. But depending on how crumbly you like, just keep adding. 
I also like to add oats or nuts to the crumble, but I didn't have any. They add an extra crunch!

Cooking:
-Pre-heat the oven to 180c
-Chop you fruit up roughly, and chuck into an oven proof dish (needs to be a deep one)
-Rub the flour and butter together in separate bowl
-Cover the fruit with the mix, sprinkle some sugar over the top and pop in the oven. 
-Cook for approx.30mins; or until fruit is soft and crumble is crispy. 


Pour on lashings of custard (or ice cream), eat hot and feel all good inside.