No Pumpkin, No Problem

I consider myself a novice baker who thinks he can punch above his weight. I love playing around with different recipes, but I’m not always as disciplined as I should be when it comes to following instructions. My philosophy in baking is to stick to the core instructions like the amount of flour, number of eggs, etc., and then have fun with the rest as I go.

When the Angama Mara bakers asked me to teach them how to make pumpkin pie for a group of American guests travelling over Thanksgiving, I was excited and nervous. Excited, because I got the chance to share part of my culture that I love and nervous because I’ve made a lot of bad pumpkin pies in my life. The kitchen was buzzing with activity as the other chefs were busy preparing Shamba lunches and starting preparations for dinner. It was fascinating to see the culinary nerve centre that churns out countless breakfasts, lunches, picnics, dinners and baked goods every day. Despite my hesitation to bake alongside actual chefs, like everyone else at Angama, they welcomed me with big smiles and treated me like an honoured guest. 

As soon as I arrived in the kitchen, I knew I was in good hands. Emmanuel was enthusiastic and jumped right into making the dough for the crust from scratch (which I have never attempted). He made a perfect dough in a matter of minutes without measuring tools, and the entire process must have taken less than ten minutes. 

I could see he and Brian were a little sceptical at first about the recipe (almost a cup of sugar and a can of sweetened condensed milk?), but they went with it and created a great pie. The team hadn't been able to source the pumpkin, so we substituted butternut, and it worked brilliantly — even with the error that sent me fishing out extra cloves (teaspoons, not tablespoons!). 

– First, beat all the ingredients together until combined. 
– Then bake at 400 degrees F (200 degrees C) for 40 minutes (or 30 if baking at an elevation of 1,000 ft!); remove when the knife comes out clean from the centre. 

Important things to remember: