Pumpkin Pie (with a Dairy Free Filling)

I love the days following Thanksgiving, because no food goes to waste in this house (at least, we try). We have two bags for the turkey, one for the carcass and one for the leftover meat pieces. Everything tastes amazing, hot and cold, especially the sweet potatoes and the greens. We learned that garbanzo bean flour is a great thickener for gravy and savory sauces, perfect for grain-fee Morri’s like myself. We also came to the conclusion that I am to make pie crusts for every Thanksgiving get-together, because Mama Dazz was not impressed with the store-bought gluten kind. 

Awesome. Score one for the gluten free pie crust.

Pie was my indulgence, one tiny sliver for both Turkey Day and Leftovers Day. As I talked about in the Turkey Day Round Up, I felt intoxicated after eating it, sleepy and loopy for hours afterward. I’m not worried about the grain-free concept, because I’m sure I can make a grain-free crust with a little tweaking. It’s the sweetener for baked goods that concern me. I’ve tried palm sugar, and that is just as bad as cane sugar in how it affects me. Stevia in baked goods also worries me, because I don’t know how it tastes after being in the oven. So if there is someone who has experience baking with stevia (both in liquid and powdered form), I’d love to hear your input.

Despite it not being grain-free (the crust) or sweetener free (the filling), this is an amazing pie, with a dairy free filling that has a silky mousse texture. However, I think this recipe would go well with sweet potato, yam, kabocha squash, and (dare I say it?) carrot puree. I’ve also noticed that if you have leftover coconut milk, all you need to do is refrigerate it overnight for a loose whipped “cream” effect.

Pumpkin Pie

11 oz Pie crust dough, rolled out flat on a floured (I use tapioca starch) surface
Butter (or solid coconut oil), for greasing the pan and brushing on the pie crust
15 oz Pumpkin puree
8 oz Canned coconut milk
2 Eggs
126 g (<4.45 oz) Honey
1/2 tsp. Sea salt
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Coriander
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
1/8 tsp. Allspice
Dash of Sage

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Grease a 9-inch pie pan with chilled butter (save any left over for later), and then carefully press the pie dough down so that it lines the bottom and sides of the pan.
Put the pumpkin, coconut milk, eggs, honey, and spices in a large bowl and mix them together with an electric beater until combined.
Pour the filling into the pie dough (at this point you can decorate the edges of the pie crust as shown here).
Bake for ten minutes while melting the remaining butter on the stovetop over low heat in a small saucepan.
Remove the pie from the oven and reduce the heat to 350ºF.
Use a basting brush (silicone is preferable) to paint the piecrust edges with the remaining melted butter.
Put the pie back into the oven and bake for one hour.
Once the pie filling has set, let it sit on the counter until room temperature.
Refrigerate or serve as is.

Makes 1 pie. Serves 8 – 16 people.