Be Thankful it's Baked Pumpkin Pie

125g butter

200ml sugar

3 eggs, beaten

250ml self-raising cake flour

2,5ml salt

5ml cinnamon powder

120g walnuts, chopped

Rind of one lemon

750ml pumpkin, raw, grated

5ml vanilla essence

125g butter

125ml cream

60ml sugar, or ring the changes and use honey

stick of cinnamon

METHOD:
1 Cream butter and sugar until light and creamy. Whip eggs lightly with a fork in a separate bowl, then add a little at a time to the butter mixture, beating continuously.

2 Sieve dry ingredients very well. Add to the butter mixture, folding lightly. Add grated pumpkin and the rest of the ingredients. Folding the mixture lightly with a metal spoon.

3 Grease a baking dish well with melted butter, as the pumpkin can be quite sticky.  Bake in a pre-set oven at 180°C for 45 minutes. Check after 30 minutes; the pie should be golden and quite firm to the touch.

4 SAUCE: Heat all the sauce ingredients until almost boiling point. Remove the stick of cinnamon and pour over the warm tart.

5 SERVE: Serve tart at room temperature with a dollop of thick full cream Greek Yoghurt, with a good teaspoon of honey added for flavour, or slightly whipped fresh cream, or crème fraiche (to make crème fraiche, mix half fresh cream and half Smetana (soured cream). Cream can be spruced up with a 1/2 t Vanilla paste and a pinch of sugar. Serve the accompaniment on the side in a beautiful bowl.

6 GARNISH: Garnish the tart with a few lemon zest tendrils, whole or chopped walnuts, and a sprig of mint or lavender.  Dust lightly with Icing sugar just before serving, as it will melt.  Serve on a silver tray

“without bread, without wine, love is nothing” Anon