Cheddar Pumpkin Pie

1 pie crust (see recipe below)
2 t butter
1 t oil, plus extra for the roasting pan
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3/4 C+ pumpkin and other vegetables (sweet potato, potato or whatever else you have to hand), cut into pieces
2 eggs
1/2 C cream
1/2 t dried thyme (or other herbs, fresh or dried, that compliment your vegetable selection)
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 1/2 C grated cheese

Heat oven to 190 C.

Put pumpkin and vegetables in roasting pan with a little oil and cook until softened. Remove. Allow to cool a little then mash, puree or blend.

Meanwhile, melt 1 t butter with the 1 t oil in a large frypan over medium heat. Cook the onion for 10 - 12 minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and beginning to brown. Season with salt and set aside.

Beat the pumpkin and eggs together in a medium bowl. Add the cream and herbs. Season to taste.

Spread the cooked onion evenly over the base of the pie crust. Sprinkle over the cheese.Pour the pumpkin mixture over the cheese and onion. Dot with little pieces of the remaining butter and bake for 30 - 40 Minutes until a knife comes out clean. Can be served, hot, cold or at room temperature.

Note: depending on the amount of vegetables you use, you may need to add a bit more milk or an extra egg.

Savory Tart Crust
2/3 C plain flour
1/3 C SR flour
1/2 wholemeal flour1/2 t salt
125 g butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg yolk
1/4 C cold water

This is enough dough to fill a  9" pie tin.

Mix the flour and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and pulse until it looks like bread crumbs. Place in a large bowl. If you don't have a food processor, sift the flours and salt into a bowl and rub in butter until the same result is achieved.

In a separate bowl beat the egg yolk and water together and then mix into the flour mixture to form a dough. Form the dough into a ball and then turn onto a floured surface. Flatten into a disc shape and then refrigerate for a few hours.

Preheat oven to 200 C. Roll out the dough to the suitable size, place in pan and fold over the edges to create a double crust. Refrigerate for 30 minutes before baking.

Blind bake for 10 minutes, remove the weights, prick pastry with a fork and bake for another 10 minutes

Based on an original recipe from "Pumpkin - A Super Food For All 12 Months of the Year" by DeeDee Stovel but include the all of d. Tronsons changes. You can hear d. on Passionfruit and Chilli here.

Image: "pumpkin patch" by ~ecil