Saturday, November 13, 2010

VeganMoFo: Dad's Pumpkin Pie

Recipe: Pumpkin Pie
Family Member: Dad

Brief Description: This is so not an original family recipe. My dad loves pumpkin pie. I love pumpkin pie. His preferred recipe is the one found on the label of Libby’s pumpkin puree. It’s a good balance of spices. I haven’t found a vegan pumpkin pie recipe that I really like, so I’ve decided to tweak this one. It’s still not perfect to my taste. (See the notes below about coconut.) It also wasn’t quite the perfect consistency. I think it would have done well to go in the oven a bit longer, but the crust started to burn. I’m going to try a half cup of silken tofu next time, in place of the eggs. Still, REALLY yummy! Also, it should be noted, that I used the tried-and-true Libby's canned pumpkin. The organic stuff I usually get just isn't quite as smooth.

Original Ingredients:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15 oz.) LIBBY'S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Evaporated Milk
1 unbaked 9-inch (4-cup volume) deep-dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)

Original Directions:
MIX sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk.

POUR into pie shell.

BAKE in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.

Vegan Notes: For the eggs I planned on using silken tofu (1/2 cup), but forgot to pick some up. Instead I used 3 ½ tsps of EnerG Egg Replacer plus 4 tbsp warm water. For the evaporated milk substitution, I used 6 oz coconut milk* (not lite!) and 6 oz of vegan non-dairy creamer. I used the pie dough recipe found in Veganomicon with good results. I didn’t top mine with whipped cream, but could have whipped something up easily with pre-soaked and blended raw cashews and sugar.

*I love coconut, but not in everything. For instance, I really don’t like the coconut-based ice creams, yogurts, or milks. For my tastes, this was a little too much coconut flavor. Next time I’d use somewhere around 3 oz coconut milk to 9 oz creamer, or just all creamer. It was still really tasty. I just didn’t totally care for the hint of coconut.

7 comments:

  1. I wonder if cashew cream would work? It looks beautiful even if it didn't taste perfect. Also, I learned a good trick for dealing with crust that's getting done faster than your filling--just tent foil just over the crust and it will keep from overbrowning. Happy Saturday to you!

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  2. You know, that's a good thought about the cashew cream. Do you know if it holds up after being heated?

    I'll have to try foil over the crust. I read that somewhere, but I don't have any in the house!

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  3. Oh how I miss pumpkin pie! I'll have to give this a try... sans dairy. Thanks for the idea!

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  4. I don't mean to burst your bubble, but evaporated milk is still milk.... It's a dehydrated, shelf-stable, canned milk product with about 60% of the water removed from fresh milk. This recipe isn't vegan. :o( I'd try using Soymilk instead.

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  5. Hi Anonymous,

    I guess you missed the intent of my theme (veganizing family recipes) and the part where it says "original ingredients" and "vegan notes."

    Sorry if the post wasn't clear enough! I definitely don't use evaporated milk...

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  6. Guess it would've helped if I kept reading, huh? Sorry 'bout that. :o)

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