Caramel Pecan Pumpkin Pie

 My sister Elizabeth made this delicious pie for Thanksgiving a couple of years ago.  I appreciated it especially, as it was gluten-free and tasted great!  The recipe comes from the cookbook, Quinoa 365:  The Everyday Superfood by Patricia Green and Carolyn Hemming.

 It seemed only fitting to get a photo with the baker

Ingredients:

One recipe Basic Pie Crust, unbaked (Use your own favourite recipe or see the gluten-free recipe below)

Filling:

One 14 oz (398ml) can pumpkin puree (or 3/4 cup fresh pumpkin puree)

2 large eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tb. quinoa flour

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground mace

1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp. ground ginger

Topping:

1 cup pecan pieces

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

2 Tb. butter, melted

1 cup whipping cream (optional)

Method:

 Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare the pie crust.  Do not bake.  Set aside.

Whisk the pumpkin, eggs, milk and sugar in a medium bowl.  Add the flour, salt, cinnamon, mace, nutmeg, and ginger and whisk to combine.  Pour into the pie crust.  Bake for 25 minutes on the centre oven rack.

Combine the pecans, sugar, and melted butter in a small bowl, mixing until the pecans are lightly coated with sugar.  Briefly remove the pie from the oven and sprinkle the pecan mixture evenly overtop.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Return the pie to the oven and bake for an additional 20-25 minutes or until the filling is firm in the centre.  If the pie appears to be getting too dark, place a piece of foil loosely over the pie and continue baking for the remaining time.  Remove from the oven and cool completely.  Whip the cream (if using) and serve alongside the pie.

 Basic Pastry (from The Gluten-Free Baking Book:  250 small-batch recipes for everything from brownies to cheesecake by Donna Washburn and Heather Butt).  

This recipe makes enough for 4 tart shells (4 - 4/14 inch fluted tart pans).  The recipe is easily doubled.

 Ingredients

1 large egg yolk

3 Tb. ice water

1 tsp. cider vinegar

1/2 cup brown rice flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 cup tapioca starch

2 tsp. xanthan gum

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 cup shortening

Method

 1.  In a small bowl, whisk together egg yolk, ice water, and vinegar.  Set aside.

2.  In a large bowl, sift brown rice flour, cornstarch, tapioca starch, xanthan gum, and salt.  Resift.

3.  Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut in shortening until mixture resembles small peas.  Sprinkle with egg yolk mixture, a little at a time, over the flour mixture, stirring with a fork until a soft dough forms.

4.  Divide the dough into 4 equal portions (As I was making two pie crusts, I divided it into two pieces).  Gently gather each portion into a ball and flatten into a disc.  Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and place in a plastic bag.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, until chilled, or overnight.

5.  Remove 1 disc from the refrigerator.  Unwrap the disc and place it on a sheet of parchment paper.  Roll out dough into a circle about 1 inch larger than the pie plate or tart shell you are using.  Carefully remove the top sheet of parchment paper and invert the pastry over the tart pan, easing it in.  Carefully peel off the remaining sheet of parchment paper.  Repeat with remaining disc(s).  (You may notice in my photos that I used a more traditional approach and rolled the dough using extra gf flour).

A few simple ingredients are used in the filling

Not bad for a gluten-free crust

Spectacular fall colour!

I must admit that my sister's pie looked better :)