Pumpkin Pie, Peter-fied

Yum.

I am currently downloading the soundtrack to Disney's 'Frozen' and I can barely wait to start singing along. I'm getting the Japanese version of 'Let It Go' as well, which in my opinion has better lyrics, but whatever. I am late to this party and I know you all already have this song (in whatever language you want) on repeat in your cars and playing in your earphones as you commute. In fact, you probably had it in 2013. I just take a while sometimes.

(By the way, I don't normally do Disney. I have been corrupted by my niece. If you prefer the image of me listening to PJ Harvey, know that I was doing that last night. See - I'm still cool. Ish.)

Now: I made a pie recently and I wasn't sure if I was going to put it on here, because it's a pumpkin pie, and some people will say it's the wrong time of year for that. Also, I switched the pastry for a crumb crust (because we all know that pastry can be a disappointment), and there will be people who are offended at that as well.

BUT I CANNOT PLEASE YOU ALL. So here's pumpkin pie, my way. With treacly muscovado sugar and loads more spices than you're supposed to put in it.

What I really wanted to mention was the amazing silicone springform pan I used to make it in. It's by a company called Lékué - from what I gather they are Spanish. (Another thing for Spaniards everywhere to be proud of.) What is amazing about this pan is that the bottom is a ceramic plate. The silicone sides insulate the cake or pie while it is baking and, once cool, come away perfectly, leaving smooth edges and a cake that is ready to serve. It is literally genius.

You can get it here. I think Nigella used one of these on one of her TV programmes too, so you know it's good. The silicone insulates so gently that you could bake a cheesecake in this without all of that water bath tomfoolery.

I have so much more yumminess coming up, and I don't really know why I have been so lax about posting recently, but bear with. I'll get there. Meanwhile...

Pumpkin Pie, My Way

You will need:

250g digestive biscuits
75g butter

3/4 cup dark muscovado sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
good grating nutmeg
1/4 tsp cloves
2 eggs
1 can pumpkin puree
1 can evaporated milk

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C. Crush the biscuits. Melt the butter. Mix the two together and push this resulting sandy mixture into a 25cm springform pan. Try to raise the edges slightly, though if you want to go cheesecake style, this would still look beautiful with just a base. Chill in the fridge for ten minutes while you make the filling.
2. Mix the other ingredients together until you have a smooth creamy filling. Pour over the base and bake for an hour or until a cocktail stick inserted near the centre comes out clean.
3. Cool on a wire rack for a few hours and serve with crème fraïche.