OKAY...Its pretty hard to ever guarantee anything with a food recipe. There are just too many opinions out there as to what makes a dish delicious. Everyone has their own preferred flavor, texture, aroma, some of us even pick our favorite foods by color. Because this is just the reality of cooking for others, or sharing recipes with the masses, it is virtually impossible to promise anyone anything when it comes to putting smiles on the faces around the table. The key phrase there is "VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE." Today, my good people, I throw caution to the wind. I go out on a limb. I am making you a promise; I am stating AND proclaiming; I am offering you a one-time-only-100%-money-back-no-questions-asked guarantee! If you have family or friends who are known to enjoy pumpkin pie, but scoff at the idea of "health foods", cringe at the thought of tofu, or run from the room when someone dares utter the "V" word...(vegan, that is)...I am prepared to stake my reputation and bet the barn that they will NEVER suspect that this creamy, custardy, crazy-delicious Pecan Topped Pumpkin Pie is completely vegan, as well as gluten-free. Go ahead, let the little devil inside you creep out this Christmas...bring one of these bad boys to the dessert buffet. Cut an extra large slice for Uncle Joe, the guy who, just a short while ago, carved up the holiday roast- all the while shamelessly smacking his lips in anticipation. Watch his eyes glaze over as he savors every silky smooth bite of that pie. Go so far as to wait until he's slid back the chair and given his belly a contented little pat or two. And then tell him. Let your own shameless grin appear. Say it, "Ya know the secret to such a great pie, Uncle Joe? I make it almost entirely out of TOFU." If you've been good this year, and all your holiday wishes are coming true, old Uncle Joe might just fall right out of that flimsy folding chair he's relaxing in. And he might just finally stop taunting the lone vegan at the celebration and concede, after all these years, that tofu can actually taste terrific!
There are many reasons to love this recipe, but one of them is because you can put it together with as much or as little effort as you feel like giving amidst the chaos of the holiday season. Feeling wiped out from shopping all those last minute sales? Then take the easy road and use a store bought crust and packaged spice mix. Or, if all your little elves have taken care of the busy work for you, follow the recipe included here for crust from scratch and mix up your own custom blend of spices (there's a recipe for that, too!). Either way, you'll be surprised how just a few simple ingredients can come together to make such a remarkably flavorful treat for any celebration. You might just find yourself bookmarking this recipe to use all year round...who says you can't have Christmas in July?! A tip worth noting, though, is that this particular pie tastes best once it has had a day, or even two, to chill out in the fridge. Its not a necessity, but planning ahead just a bit will make it all the more enjoyable in the end.
Well, my mouth is watering so let's put on the apron, grab the rolling pin, and get baking...
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| GF HOLIDAY HAPPINESS |
"THEY'RE GONNA LOVE IT!" PECAN TOPPED PUMPKIN PIE
- 1 and 1/4 cans (15oz each), about 2c total, organic pure pumpkin puree
- 3/4c turbinado sugar
- 1/2tsp salt
- 2tsp pumpkin pie spice (recipe follows)
- 12oz silken tofu, soft or firm*
- 1-9"or 10" pie crust, unbaked (recipe follows)
- walnut or pecan halves for decoration (optional)
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
If making scratch crust, prepare it before you begin the filling.
For pie filling, begin by blending the tofu in a food processor or blender until smooth and creamy.
In a separate mixing bowl, cream together the pumpkin puree and the sugar until well blended. Add the salt, spice mix and tofu and continue blending until all ingredients are well incorporated. The filling should be a beautiful and uniform, autumnal shade of orange with no visible streaks of the white tofu.
Pour filling into the prepared, but UNBAKED, crust and smooth the top gently with an offset spatula or the back of a spoon. Decorate with walnut or pecan halves, if desired.
Bake the pie for 15 minutes at 425 degrees, then reduce oven temp to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 40-45 minutes. If crust begins to darken, shield gently with foil. Pie will appear slightly dry and center will be well set when it is done. Remove from oven, cool completely and refrigerate until ready to serve.
*Be sure you are using "silken" tofu, sold in shelf-stable packaging similar to that of juice boxes. For more about silken tofu, check out the notes in this older post!
Serve chilled or at room temperature, with whipped cream or vegan vanilla ice cream, if you like.
Recipe yields one 9-10" pie.
Gluten Free and Vegan, with Nut-Free option.
GF VEGAN PIE CRUST
- 3/4c plus 2Tbsp white rice flour
- 2tsp sugar
- 3/4tsp xanthan gum
- 1/4tsp salt
- 7 Tbsp cold vegan buttery sticks or shortening (such as Earth Balance), cut into pieces
- 2-3 Tbsp cold water, as needed
Sift together flour, sugar, xanthan gum and salt in a large mixing bowl. (Alternatively, pulse dry ingredients with the blade attachment in a food processor.)
Add butter and cut in to flour mix using a pastry cutter of two sharp knives, crisscrossing the blades until butter resembles "pebbles" the size of peas. (If using processor, pulse until butter is distributed.)
Add the water one tablespoon at a time stirring until a soft ball of dough forms.
Roll dough, immediately, between two sheets of parchment paper, or wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use. Room temperature dough can also be pressed into pie pan using slightly moistened fingertips.
Yields enough dough for one 10" single crust pie.
JESSIE'S FAVORITE PUMPKIN PIE SPICE BLEND
- 8 tsp ground cinnamon
- 4 tsp ground ginger
- 2 tsp ground clove
- 1 tsp ground nutmeg
Blend all spices together and store in a tightly covered container.
Yields approximately 1/4 cup.
