Well, with Halloween done and dusted and possibly firework night? Who can tell, firework night seems to start the weekend prior to November 5th, which this year was on a Wednesday, and carries on randomly............just when you think, well it's Tuesday the 11th of November, absolutely nothing to do with Guy Fawkes and not even a weekend, someone will go into their garden and start letting off rockets?
I mean to say, it's all about Christmas now! The adverts have premiered, the supermarkets are churning out piped Christmas carols, the uninspired gift boxes and novelty socks are fighting for precedence on the supermarket shelves, fireworks are so yesterday!
Up until recent years firework night was an annual commemoration observed on the 5 November. Weeks before the event schoolchildren made Guys and would congregate on street corners, accompanied by their effigy of Guy Fawkes, calling 'penny for the Guy.' The money they collected went towards fireworks, a much anticipated, one off night of excitement. The modern celebration which sees rockets go higher and burn with more colour, has less and less to do with the memories of the fifth of November.
I went to my friend Jenny's on Saturday (8th November, forgivable I feel) for her family bonfire party. Jenny's youngest, Alfie aged seven, was very excited, he'd made a guy for the bonfire, his dad had a shed full of fireworks and his mum had cooked up all sorts of goodies for us all to eat.
We all huddled around the bonfire, keeping a safe distance from Dave, head of the pyrotechnic department, adults with large steaming glasses of Gluhwein and children with hot chocolate.
Jenny warms her Gluhwein in a slow cooker with star anise and oranges.
Mid fireworks we all went inside to eat, Jenny had two more slow cookers on the go, one with a delicious chicken curry, the other with meltingly soft pulled pork.
And for dessert........well naturally, pumpkin pie! We Brits have never really got pumpkin pie, the idea of something so vegetal for dessert freaks us out! Yet this Thanksgiving classic, not too dissimilar to egg custard tart, is delicious and incredibly easy to make. I have made the tart using butternut squash and I imagine sweet potato would work just as well? I use double cream in my recipe but some recipes suggest condensed milk, I forgot to ask Jenny which recipe she followed, all I know is, it was utterly scrumptious!
Pumpkin pie
Recipe
1 packet ready made sweet shortcrust pastry
450g pumpkin flesh, cut into 1in chunks
2 large free range eggs plus 1 yolk
75g soft dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of each of the following: ground all spice, ground cloves, ground ginger
275ml double cream
Preheat oven 200c/gas 6
Roll out pastry, 1 1/2 in deep and line a a pie dish with pastry
Bake pastry case blind for 20 minutes
Roast pumpkin chunks on a baking tray covered with foil for 20-30 minutes until tender
When cool, blend in a food processor or mash by hand to a puree
Lightly whisk eggs and yolk in a large bowl
Place sugar, spices and cream in a pan, bring to simmering point
Stir to mix everything thoroughly, remove from heat and pour over eggs and whisk
Add pumpkin puree, still whisking
Reduce oven 180c/gas 4
Pour filling into pastry case and bake for 35-40 minutes
Serve warm with cream or ice cream, alternatively this is delicious when chilled.
'Don't you remember,
The fifth of November,
Twas gunpowder treason day,
I let off my gun,
And made'em all run,
And stole all their bonfire away.'
(1742)
Love Donna xxxxxxxxx
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