The coziness of September brings forth outdoor picnics with a Nordic style pumpkin pie and piping hot tea.

As the heat of the summer season begins to fade, simultaneously the type of food consumed changes from fresh light meals to more comforting wholehearted dishes. September is the official start of autumn, when leaves slowly begin to saturate on trees and crisp mornings are amongst us, it means pumpkin season is here. Pumpkin is quintessentially the transitional vegetable from the end of summer to the beginning of fall. They bring comfort as the golden hues of September begin to ignite the sky, and slowly the evenings get darker.

Hanna Kirstiina Amy shares a classic Pumpkin pie recipe from Finland.From Hanna,

Pumpkin is not as popular or symbolic as it is in the United states during the fall, but it is a staple autumn vegetable that is much consumed. Roasted pumpkin slices, quiches and comforting soups is what Finns tend to love and pumpkin is often used for savory purposes. For instance, pumpkin pie can be either savory or sweet, much different than the one in the United states. Sweet pies are kept more natural using less sugar bringing out its natural sweetness, and perhaps slightly healthier this way. As lingonberries and cranberries grow in the wild at the moment, this pie combines the sour berries to add a bit of pungent flavor from the delicious red jewels. This pie also has a puff pastry crust giving the pie a fluffy shell with a delicious sweet center. Not only does this pie look beautiful, but it tends to bring out the kaleidoscope of colors that Autumn warships. Meanwhile the other half of nature strips down into pure muted hues. I love the pale birch color of hay fields and certain wild flowers that make the most calming unsaturated backdrop. The mature sun is lower and more golden, mornings are crisp and full of life & you can smell autumn dancing in the breeze. Forests are lush and full of mushrooms, while wild flowers stand crisp soaking up the warmth & slowly, the bright trees are dropping their leaves. Nature is at its most beautiful at the moment.September is a month that inspires baking. To make the pie, we begin by making a luscious purée in the oven by roasting the pumpkin. In Finland, you cannot find canned pumpkin puree so this process is done homemade, but actually I’m sure it makes it all the better because of the purity of ingredients. With a subtle hint of cardamom and cinnamon, this puree is sweetened only with honey or syrup. Additionally, the leftover puree can have many purposes, as it works well as a base for a soup or sauce, bread or breakfast muffins. The beauty of this, is that the puree can be made in advance and refrigerated overnight it just intensifies in flavor. Not only does this pie look beautiful, but it tends to bring out the kaleidoscope of Autumn colors.

We enjoyed this pie at an outdoor picnic, with piping hot earl gray that washed the sweet pie down our throats. Since the surroundings were so beautiful, I also couldn’t help myself in making a little wreath from materials nearby. I used some autumn hydrangeas, lingonberry/pine branches and some sage colored moss that is found on pine. Finding hanging moss (almost like string) on pine indicates that the nature around is very clean and it is often found in the woods of Lapland, in the very North of Finland. The sage green color is something else, stunning little forest treasures right at our feet.

Puff pastry pumpkin pie recipe from Finland

Homemade Pumpkin puree

• 1 small pumpkin
• 2 generous tablespoons honey or syrup
• 2 tablespoons of oil
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of cardamom
• Pinch of salt

Pie Filling

• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon Baking powder
• 3 tablespoons cranberries (optional)
• 1 ½ cups pumpkin puree

Base

• Ready-made puff pastry

Directions

• Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius (356 degrees Fahrenheit)
• Begin by roasting the pumpkin cubes. This recipe only calls for 1½ cups of pumpkin puree, but I find it more practical to roast ½ of a whole small pumpkin and if there is excess left, it can be used later for many other purposes.
• Cut the whole pumpkin in half (refrigerate the other half for another day) and cut these into smaller pieces. Remove the skin and seeds and dice onto a roasting tray with parchment paper underneath. Add a pinch of salt on top, some cinnamon and cardamom. In a little bowl, mix together some honey and oil and pour over the pumpkin dices mixing until thoroughly coated. Place into the oven for about 45 minutes until soft and slightly golden.
• Once the pumpkin is cooked, remove from the oven and mush it up with a fork until roughly smooth to form a puree. You can also use a hand-held whisk if you wish for a smoother consistency. Check for flavor and see if you think it needs a little bit for salt or sweetness. This recipe will use 1 ½ cups of the pumpkin puree to make two little pies. However, you can use 1 larger cake tin and just add more of the pumpkin puree if needed as you have some left over.
• With an electric whisk, beat the eggs and sugar until frothy. Sieve in the flour and baking powder. Fold in with a spatula. Next fold in the pumpkin puree.
• Take a cake tin and line the edges with butter. Roll out some puff pastry and mold it into the cake tin. Pour the filling inside the cake tin and press some cranberries into the middle.
• Bake in the oven for about 30-40minutes. Allow to cool and garnish with coconut shreds, cranberry and oregano flowers.

In the Nordics, we slowly welcome the darker evenings after a summer with endless white nights and transition into a period of routine and cozy candlelight evenings. Allow these easy pies to bring you comfort as pumpkin season is in full capacity, tucked under a blanket with a good book and another slice.Do you have a favorite pumpkin recipe for Fall?

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