Another substitute for pumpkin pie: Virtually Pumpkin Pie

Finding pumpkin for that vital pumpkin pie can be tough when you live in Europe.

It's not that pumpkin doesn't grow here (some of the best breeds are grown in France and make their way all over the continent). But there doesn't seem to be much of an urge to can it: and by the time the expat North American's thoughts turn to pumpkin pie, the pumpkin season in Europe is pretty much over and the vegetable itself has disappeared from the markets. The only place to find pumpkin after that is in imported cans on the shelves of too-expensive import shops that charge the hapless would-be pie maker a whole lot more than the same cans would cost at home.

Fortunately there are alternatives. It can be surprising, when it comes right down to comparisons, how very much the flavor of a pumpkin pie depends on its seasoning... and the existence in North America of a specific blend of "pumpkin pie spice" should serve as a suggestion that it's very easy, when coming up with alternative "pumpkin" pie recipes, to cheat.

When you get down to it, a pumpkin pie is pretty simple. It involves a pureed, relatively mildly flavored vegetable, a baked custard (eggs and milk or cream) and a very few spices -- normally cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, and ginger. The obvious substitution if the pumpkin can't be found would be an orange-ish vegetable without too pronounced a flavor. One possible alternative is butternut squash (and a pie recipe featuring that squash is here). Another is the humble yam or sweet potato, which works very well in this context, and is famous in its own regard as sweet potato pie.

This recipe is a little less sweet than many sweet potato pie recipes, and emphasizes traditional pumpkin pie spicing. The flavor of the finished product is surprisingly close to that of pumpkin pie from commercial canned pumpkin.

Click onf "read more" for the recipe and method.

Ingredients:

• 1 unbaked pie crust (see recipe below)
• 1 1/2 cups cooked, peeled and mashed sweet potatoes: (amount of raw sweet potato needed: 1 pound)
• 1 heaping teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cream or whole milk
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 egg yolks
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, or
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon allspice, 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• If you want to darken the pie color a little: 1 tablespoon molasses

Method:

Boil the sweet potatoes in their skins for approximately 50 minutes or until very tender. (If you use one large sweet potato that weighs 1 pound, give it 55 minutes.) Drain and allow to steam dry over very low heat for a couple of minutes: then peel and mash.

Prepare the pie crust as below in a 9-inch pie dish or pan, and preheat the oven to 350° F. Beat all the ingredients together very well and pour into the prepared pie shell. Put the pie in the oven and bake for 45 minutes or until a knife inserted near the middle comes out clean.

Allow to cool for at least 2 1/2 hours before serving.

Top with whipped cream and possibly an additional grating of fresh nutmeg.

Pie crust recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup pastry shortening or butter
• 3 tablespoons water (slightly more if required)

Method:

Preheat oven to 425° F. Sift the flour before measuring it into a roomy bowl or food processor. Add the salt and mix well: then work in the shortening by cutting it in with two knives, using a pastry blender, or pulsing the mixture in a food processor with the plastic blade, until the grain in the mixture is pea-sized. Stir or pulse the water in one tablespoon at a time, until the mixture holds together when you gather it into a ball. (If using a food processor, pulse until the dough mixture just gathers to make a ball.)

Allow to rest for 15 minutes in the refrigerator: then roll out and use to line a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Remove and allow to cool.