Christmas recipe: How to make a classic pumpkin pie

It's time to ring in the festive season with customary Christmas dishes. 

Classic pumpkin pie

Recipe by Mahesh Pandala, Executive Chef, The Westin Hyderabad Mindspace.

Ingredients:

• 500 gm fresh cream
• 120 gm castor sugar
• 4 eggs
• 2 egg yolks
• 20 gm refined flour
• 210 gm roasted puree
• 10 gm cinnamon powder
• 5 gm nutmeg powder
• 5 gm ginger powder

For the short crust:

• 100 gm icing sugar
• 2 eggs
• 200 gm refined flour
• 5 ml vanilla essence
• 100 gm butter, unsalted

Method:

• For the short crust, cream butter and icing sugar together. Add egg one at a time. Cream till the mix gets soft peak consistency.
• Add vanilla into it. Fold in the flour and keep in refrigerator for an hour.
• Take fresh cream in a pan, add sugar into it. Cook for some time.
• Cool the cream. Add eggs in the mix. Add pumpkin puree, flour and all the spices into it and mix properly.
• Roll the short crust and line the pie shell. Pour the mix in the lined pie shell. Bake at 170°C for 35-40 mins or till done.
• Decorate with marzipan pumpkins and glazed apricots.

Recipe by Saurabh Srivastava, Executive Chef, Aloft New Delhi Aerocity. 

Ingredients: 

• 1/4 lb (around 100 gm) unsalted butter 
• 1 lemon, juice and zest
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, chopped
• 1 fresh turkey
• Kosher salt
• Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 bunch thyme leaves
• 1 whole lemon, halved
• 1 Spanish onion, quartered
• 1 head garlic, halved crosswise

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350°C. 
• Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add the zest and juice of a lemon and 1 tsp thyme leaves. Set aside. 
• Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out.
• Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. 
• Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally apply salt and pepper to the inside of the turkey cavity.
• Stuff the cavity with the bunch of thyme, halved lemon, quartered onion, and garlic. Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter mixture and sprinkle salt and pepper. 
• Tie the legs together with a string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey. Roast the turkey at 350 F (about 2 to 2½ hours), or until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh.
• Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes. Slice it and serve.