At this time of year little ones up and down the land are excited at the prospect of free food in exchange for a fright.
It's a great opportunity to have a party and as it is a child-friendly time the kids can muck in with the production as well as the eating. This year we will be making spooky pizza faces, wormy bug pasta and ghoulishly green apple and avocado smoothies.
The Americans are the masters of Halloween celebrations and they have used the pumpkin - something we usually carve out then throw onto the rubbish tip - to its full potential in a whole range of delicious pumpkin related recipes, including desserts.
Pumpkin pie is a fabulous concoction of pureed pumpkin, sugar, cream and eggs and if you can get your head around the fact that there is a vegetable in the mix you will love it.
I like to use molasses-packed sticky black treacle in mine, and they can be made into individual ‘pies’ for little hands by using mini pudding moulds such as in this recipe or jam tart cases. They are seasonal, delicious and frightfully fantastic. Happy Halloween.
Mini pumpkin and black treacle pies
500g peeled and chopped pumpkin
300ml double cream
100g muscovado sugar
3 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp black treacle
½ tsp ground cinnamon
A little ground nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
1 - Pre-heat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Roll out the pastry then portion and line some mini pudding moulds leaving the edges overlapped. Put into the fridge to rest.
2 - Bring a pan of water to the boil then cook the chopped pumpkin until tender. Blend to a puree.
3 - Pour the cream into a pan then add the sugar and spices and heat up to just under boiling point.
4 - Pour in the eggs and whisk well, then add the black treacle. Stir in the pumpkin puree and pour into the pudding moulds.
5 - Bake for 25-30 minutes or until just set.
The Times. Oct 28, 2009.
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