Jarrahdale Pumpkin Pie Recipe

I set out to make a pumpkin pie from scratch with the goal of letting the true character of the pumpkin come through without overwhelming the flavor with sugar and spices. I also wanted to try spices other than traditional pumpkin pie and drew inspiration from an Indian dessert called Halwa, which is also made from pumpkin and features cardamom. I’ve used ghee and jaggery in order to stick with the Indian inspiration, however, butter and brown sugar will work perfectly well.

The result is still a traditional pumpkin pie but with a light hint of cardamom that allows the real flavor of the pumpkin to show through. A little black pepper provides structure without drawing attention to itself and the ghee is decadent.

A farmer who runs a local pumpkin stand told me his favorite one for cooking is the Jarrahdale Pumpkin. He also said he prefers a graham cracker crust so I followed his suggestions.

The Jarrahdale pumpkin has a very tough shell and I had to use a large, sturdy knife to cut it into quarters and then remove the seeds. The quarters were baked on a rimmed tray with water in the bottom for about an hour and 20 minutes at 400°F. The pumpkin was 10-15 lbs. to start with and yielded 6½ lbs. of cooked pulp. I use 15 oz. of cooked pumpkin for a pie since most recipes are geared to use 15 oz. cans of pumpkin puree.

You may be able to find Jarrahdale Pumpkins for sale at a deep discount after Halloween. A 10-15 lbs. pumpkin may be on sale for as low as $2.50. That’s a lot of versatile, quality food for not much money.

I thought the rich custard of pumpkin pie might benefit from something tart to cut through, so I use lime whipped cream as a topping. The tartness of the topping makes for a great counterpoint to the pumpkin.

Directions:

Pie Crust

• 1 ½ cups Graham Cracker Crumbs (12 full-size Original Nabisco Graham Crackers, crushed into crumbs)
• 2 tbsp. Jaggery Powder or Brown Sugar
• 6 tbsp. Ghee or Butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the ingredients and form a crust in a nine-inch pie pan. Use the bottom of a glass or mixing cup to tamp down the cracker mix to provide some solid structure. Bake the empty crust for seven minutes and allow to cool.

Pie Filling

• 15 oz. Jarrahdale Pumpkin, cooked
• 3 Large Eggs
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
• ¼ cup Whole or 2% Milk
• 1 tbsp. Corn Starch
• 6 tbsp. Jaggery Powder or Brown Sugar
• 1 tsp. Sea Salt
• ½ tsp. Ground Cardamom
• ½ tsp. Ground Black Pepper

Purée the cooked pumpkin until smooth. Combine the ingredients in a saucepan. Slowly heat the mixture while stirring constantly in order to avoid scrambling the eggs. Heat to bubbling and continue stirring for about two minutes until it thickens to a pudding-like consistency. Pour the mixture onto the pie crust and bake for 30 minutes. Allow to cool thoroughly. Serve with a dollop of lime whipped cream.

Lime Whipped Cream

• 1 cup Heavy Cream, chilled
• ½ tsp. Pure Vanilla Extract
• Zest of 1 Lime
• Juice of 1 Lime
• 2 tbsp. Powdered Sugar

Combine all the ingredients into a chilled bowl.  Use a mixer to whisk the ingredients until soft peaks form.