Pumpkin Scones

Serves 12 Cooking Time Prep time 15 mins, cook 40 mins

250 gm peeled jarrahdale or Queensland blue pumpkin, cut into 3cm pieces
300 gm (2 cups) self-raising flour
½ tsp ground nutmeg
75 gm (1/3 cup) pure icing sugar, sifted
40 gm butter, softened
1 egg yolk
For brushing: milk
To serve: butter

Preheat oven to 200C. Place pumpkin in a steamer over a saucepan of boiling water, cover and steam until tender (about 15 minutes), then transfer to an oven tray and bake for 10 minutes to dry out. Cool, then pass through a coarse sieve.

Sift flour, nutmeg and 1 tsp salt into a bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat icing sugar and butter until pale and fluffy, add egg yolk and beat to combine. Using a wooden spoon, stir in pumpkin, then half the flour mixture. Add remaining flour mixture and, using your hands, bring together to make a dough, then turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead gently until smooth (dough should be a little sticky).

Roll out to 2cm thick and, using a 5.5cm-diameter cutter dipped in flour, cut rounds (without twisting cutter) from dough and transfer to a lightly greased oven tray. Re-roll scraps and repeat. Brush tops with milk and bake until golden and sound hollow when tapped (10-15 minutes). Serve hot or at room temperature with butter.

Note Different types of pumpkins have varying moisture levels. Keep this in mind when bringing the dough together, as you may need to add a little more flour for ease of handling.

WORDS Belinda So RECIPE Adelaide Lucas PHOTOGRAPHY Teny Aghamalian STYLING Vanessa Austin Published by Gourmet Traveller