This American classic is inspired by an old Pennsylvania
Dutch recipe and combines the earthiness of whisky, the toffee flavours of
brown sugar and the slight acidity of yogurt to make an irresistible dessert
that will fill your kitchen with mouthwatering aromas. If pumpkin is out of
season, butternut squash works just as well. Serve either hot or cold, with a little sour cream.
Serves 8–10
For the pastry case
1 portion ready-made gluten-free sweet shortcrust pastry (or use my recipe here)
Cornflour for rolling out
For the filling
300g (12oz) peeled pumpkin flesh
100g (4oz) unsalted butter
80g (1/2 cup) dark brown soft sugar
85ml (1/3 cup) plain yogurt
60ml (1/4 cup) whisky
2 tsp cornflour
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
3 eggs
Preheat the oven to 180C. Chop up the pumpkin, place in a
saucepan and add enough water to cover the chunks. Boil the pumpkin until
tender.
Meanwhile, roll out the pastry to about 3mm (2/16”) thick
and use it to line a 25cm (10”) loose-bottomed flan tin, sprinkling cornflour on
the worktop to prevent the pastry sticking.
Once the pumpkin is cooked, drain off the water and place
the pieces of pumpkin in a food processor or blender. Melt the butter and add
it to the liquidiser, along with the sugar, yogurt, whisky, cornflour, cinnamon
and salt. Blend until completely smooth.
Separate the eggs. Add the yolks to the pumpkin mixture and
combine. Whisk the whites in a large bowl. Pour the pumpkin mixture down the
side of the bowl with the egg white, then carefully fold everything together. Tip
the mixture into the prepared pastry case and bake for about 45 minutes until
the pie is puffy and browned. It will collapse a little as it cools, but this
is normal.