Dairy Free Pumpkin Pie and Whipped Cream Topping

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

This is the first holiday I have been dairy free, and I was determined to enjoy some pumpkin pie. Something like, "you can have your pie and eat it too?" heh Anyway...






Ingredients:

Love Trader Joes!

• Your favorite dairy free crust (Pillsbury roll out crusts and Harris Teeter Brand crusts are my fav and yes, dairy free!)
• 1 can of pumpkin
• 1 can coconut cream
• 1/2 cup dairy-free milk (I used almond)
• 2 large eggs
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 Tbs powdered sugar

Directions:

Separated cream set aside

1. Lay your crust out to come to room temperature
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees
3. Do not shake your can of coconut cream!!!
4. Remove thick cream from top of can of coconut cream and set aside in small bowl.
5. Use remainder of coconut milk/water mixture and add in thick separated cream by spoonful until it measures to 1 cup. Keep the rest of cream separated and put in fridge to chill.
6.  Place this cup of coconut cream/milk and add to mixing bowl. Add in can of pumpkin, 1/2 cup milk, eggs, sugar, spice and salt. Mix on high until combined evenly. 
7. While mixing, prepare your crust in a pie pan.
8. Pour mixture into unbaked crust and place in oven.
9. Cover edges of crust to prevent burning.
10. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes.

 
Whipped Cream:

1. While pie is baking and once cream has chilled, place cream in mixing bowl with whisk attachment. 
2. Whisk coconut cream on highest setting for 2 minutes. 
3. Add in powdered sugar and mix again on highest setting until fluffy.
4. Serve on pie!!!
5. ENJOY :)

 I am reveling in this season of Thanksgiving and the gratitude I have for my family, friends, faith, and blessings. Enjoy the season!

My biggest blessings.

Blast From Past: Watermelon Chiffon Pie

We had half a watermelon left over in the fridge. Wasted produce really irks me. This is where I get half my motivation to make delicious pie! Waste not, want not ;)

I came across a picture of this amazing pie and it was too gorgeous, too intriguing not to try. Warning: it is not for the faint of heart. It takes time, many bowls, and mad whipping skills! I found the recipe here, and it is pretty identical to the one in my amazing pie book too. This pic is from the source website:

Ingredients:

* 1 graham cracker crumb crust (Store bought or homemade)

Filling

* 6 cups watermelon (seeds are fine)
* 1/3 cup granulated sugar
* 2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin (aka, two envelopes)
* 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice or 1 tablespoon lemon juice
* 2 large egg whites, at room temperature
* 1 cup cold heavy cream or 1 cup whipping cream
* 1 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

Garnish

* confectioners' sugar, to dust
* whipped cream (homemade or store bought)

Directions:

1. Place a medium sized bowl and a set of beaters in the refrigerator to chill.
2. Bake pie crust according to directions and let cool; Refrigerate until ready to use.
3. Combine the watermelon and granulated sugar in a very large bowl; using a potato masher, mash until the mixture is quite liquid; set aside for 15 minutes.

4. After 15 minutes, drain the mixture through a strainer, reserving almost 2 ¾ cups of the watermelon juice and then discard pulp and seeds.

5. Put ¼ cup of the juice in a medium size bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it; set aside for 3 to 4 minutes to dissolve.
6. Heat ½ cup of the juice in a small saucepan over medium heat (or in the microwave) to a near boil; whisk the hot juice into the dissolved gelatin.
7. Pour the remaining 2 cups watermelon juice into a large bowl an stir in the gelatin-watermelon juice mixture; stir in the lime juice; place in refrigerator.
8. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg whites in a medium size bowl until stiff peaks form; set aside; clean and dry beaters;
9. Using the chilled medium-size bowl and chilled beaters, beat the heavy cream with the mixer until it holds soft peaks; add the confectioners? sugar and beat until smooth and stiff but not grainy; refrigerate.
10. When the watermelon juice mixture starts to firm up, add about one-quarter of the whipped cream and beat with the electric mixer until smooth.

11. Add the beaten egg whites and remaining whipped cream and gently fold them in with a large rubber spatula; if necessary, use a whisk-very briefly-to smooth the mixture and break up any large globs of whites or whipped cream.
12. Pour the filling into the cooled pie shell; shake to settle; cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.
13. To serve, garnish each slice with a dusting of confectioners sugar, and then add a dollop of whipped cream, if desired.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Let's take a trip back in time to early summer strawberry season. Nothing I love more than picking my own berries. This year I was spoiled and 2 sets of friends brought home some hand-picked strawberries for me. We had also received some rhubarb in our farm share and I looked into making the only thing I knew how with these two amazing ingredients: PIE! They are both in season at the same time and a match made in heaven!


I have a book simply named "Pie" by Ken Haedrich. He had a great recipe for this pie, and little adaptation was needed! I use the steps to be as time efficient as possible. I refuse to let parenting come in the way of delicious fresh baked treats!

Strawberry Rhubarb Crumb Pie

Crust: Mom's of babies have to cheat so I used Harris Teeter brand crusts--just soften, unroll, and go. Or you can make homemade crust and freeze until ready for use to save time too.

Prepare in advance, or while fruit portion is baking:

Cornmeal Crumb Topping:

3/4 cup fine yellow cornmeal
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

Combine dry ingredients in food processor to mix.


Then add butter and pulse until it resembles fine crumbs. You can then use fingers to make them into larger, buttery crumbs. Refrigerate until ready for use.

Filling:

3 cups rhubarb sliced 1/2 inch thick
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
grated zest of that lemon
4 cups strawberries sliced as appropriate to size
1/4 cup quick-cooking tapioca

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prepare your rhubarb, lemon.


Combine rhubarb, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in large bowl. Toss well then set aside 10 min.

This is when I cut my strawberries and prepared my pie shell (my timing is usually limited to my 8 month old's nap...must be efficient!)

After 10 min add the strawberries and tapioca to the bowl and toss well.


Scrape the filling into pie shell. Place pie in center of oven and heat for 30 min.


Remove from oven, decrease temperature to 375 degrees, and add crumb topping. I recommend covering the crust with something like this to prevent burning. You may also want to put a pan under the pie for bubbling. I used a little ceramic bird shared vent to help with this too.

Bake until juices bubble thickly around edge, about 30 to 40 min. Cool before serving.

Delicious.

Enjoy!