This recipe is not vegan, but it's gluten-free, and most importantly really healthy. It's also quite low in calories and digestion-friendly. And then, how cool is it to eat veggies for desert, right? And to top it all, some coconut whipped-cream.
I don't have much of a sweet tooth, but wanted to make something special for Xmas dinner and try a new recipe. I've been obsessed with squash lately and baking a pumpkin pie has been on my kitchen bucket list for a little while. I'm quite pleased with the outcome although some mistakes were made and lessons learned.
Lesson 1: when you bake, don't mess up with the quantities. If the recipe says something, you do it. Unless it's sugar, I often cut the amount of sugar.
Lesson 2: Don't hesitate to spice it up, don't be shy with spices.
Lesson 3: the pie is best eaten the next day after it has been refrigerated overnight. So if you can, make it the day before the D-day.
Notes:
I didn't bake the pie pastry, I bought it already made. That'll be my next challenge. If you decide to buy it as well, go for shortcrust pastry.
You can replace:
* pumpkin with butternut squash
* soy cream with almond cream, rice cream or oat cream
* eggs with any egg substitute of your choice
You can use any of the following warming spices: cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, cloves, nutmeg
Preparation time : 30 min
Cooking time: 35 min
Ingredients for the filling
Pumpkin (cooked), 400 g
Brown sugar, 50 g
Eggs, 2
Arrow Root, 25 g (or Maizena)
Soy cream, 20 ml
cinnamon, to taste (at least a teaspoon)
ginger, to taste
nutmeg powder, to taste but note that it's quite strong. It should 1/2 the amount of cinnamon
Ingredient for the garnish
A can of full fat coconut milk (full fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream, NOT reduced fat coconut milk or carton coconut-milk beverage)
1 or 2 tbsp of brown sugar (depending on how sweet you want it)
Optional flavouring ideas
a few drops vanilla extract
a few drops of almond extract
a sprinkle of cinnamon, cardamom or pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp of lime, orange, or lemon zest
1/2 tsp instant coffee
Instructions
Cut the pumpkin into small pieces, but don't need to peel it (just wash it well). The smaller the chunks, the faster they will cook. You can boil or steam them - my heart always goes for steaming. Cooking time should be about 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 180°C.
Once it's cooked, drain the pumpkin and pour it into a blender. Puree it until super smooth. Then, add the soy cream, corn starch, brown sugar and eggs. Blend until you obtain a homogeneous mixture with a vibrant orange colour.
Finally, season to your liking with nutmeg and cinnamon powder. Add a little, try it out, add more!
Mix and pour the filling obtained into the tart mould. Even out with a spatula and gently tap it down against the worktop.
Put it in the oven for about 35 minutes.
If you have excess filling, pour it into baking ramekins and place in the oven at the same time (but take them out earlier as they'll probably cook faster). I didn't have anymore pastry so I greased the ramekins and poured the filling in it.
Finally and most importantly, you must wait until it has completely cooled down and the filling has taken its final shape before eating it. Store it in a cool place for a few hours before serving. And again, it tastes much better the next day!
You can sprinkle with cinnamon powder, ginger powder or cardamom powder if you fancy.
Whipped coconut cream
Use either full fat canned coconut milk or coconut cream. The recipe will not work with reduced fat coconut milk or carton coconut-milk beverage.
Start by chilling a can of full fat coconut milk or cream in the fridge overnight so it's thicker and non-running.
Once it’s cold, open the can and transfer just the thick and creamy part to a bowl. Either discard the rest or save it for another recipe.
With either a stand mixer or hand beaters (or a fork if it’s all you have), whip with the sugar and optional flavouring until stiff peaks form.
When you serve the pie, spoon it on each slice. you can store the cream in the fridge for several days and use it as coffee cream, with some oats, etc.
I hope you enjoy the recipe, don't hesitate to leave me a comment!
Elise
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