Ingredients: (serves 6)
- 1x 20cm flan dish
- 1 x frozen ready rolled shortcrust pastry circle, thawed
- 450g pumpkin flesh
- 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- 1/4 -1/2 grated fresh nutmeg
- 115g caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 200ml carton creme fraiche
- Melted plain chocolate to decorate
Line the flan dish with the pastry circle and place in the refrigerator to rest while the filling is made.
Place the pieces of pumpkin, with the skin on but the seeds removed, into half size AGA poasting tin with 2 tablespoons of water and cover with foil.
2, 3 and 4 oven AGA slide the tin onto the third set of runners down in the roasting oven and steam for 45 minutes to 1 hour or until tender.
Scrape the pumpkin flesh into a bowl, discard the skin and mash to a pulp. Add the cinnamon, ginger and nutmeg, mix well. Whisk together the sugar and eggs then whisk in the creme fraiche. Stir in the spiked pumpkin pulp in two lots. Pour into the pastry case.
Cook on the floor of the roasting oven for about 35-40 minutes until set.
Allow the flan to go cold. Using the melted chocolate, pipe a spider's web on the top.
Served cold with whipped cream.
For conventional cooking cover the raw pastry case with foil and tip in baking beans, bake 'blind' for 15 minutes at 200C, fan over 180C, gas mark 6. Remove the foil and beans then pour in the filling.
Reduce the oven to 180C / fan 160C, gas mark 4 and cook for a further 25 minutes until set.
Tip, if you are making your own pastry add half a spoon of cinnamon to the mixture.