After the Turkey: Pumpkin pie

The pumpkin, pie of this year’s Thanksgiving feast a recent invention of mine that dodges several family members’ allergies, comes with very little lactose and no gluten. No more eating the pumpkin-and-spice flavored filling and throwing away the crust.

A favorite gluten piecrust is the Almond Meal Pie Shell below, a recipe from my book, "Wholegrain and Gluten Free", available at Minglement.

Almond Meal Pie Shell - For one 9-inch pie

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
1 cup almond meal
1 cup oat, sorghum, or millet flour
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup soft butter
¼ cup water
3 Tablespoons olive oil

In a mixing bowl, stir the almond meal, flour, and salt. Work in the soft butter. In a measuring cup, fork beat the water and olive oil. At once pour it into the dry ingredients. Work the mixture together. Form it into a ball. Pat it flat. Transfer it to your pie pan, mooshing it and mashing it with clean knuckles and pushing it up the sides to fit it to the pan.

Make a decorative fluted edge. Prick te bottom and the sides all over with a fork. Bake 15 minutes, or until the piecrust is crisp and its fluted edge light brown.

Pumpkin Filling - For 9-inch pie

1 ½ cups home-cooked or canned pumpkin pulp
½ cup white sugar
¼ cup molasses
1 teaspoon ginger powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon cloves powder
3 eggs, beaten
1 ½ cups almond milk
¼ cup rich cream
Walnut halves

Mix all but the walnuts. Pour into prepared pie shell. Arrange walnut halves as a circle around perimeter of pumpkin filling. Bake 15 minutes if not using already-baked almond crust Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake 40 more minutes. Insert knife midway from rim to center. If it comes out clean, the pie is done.

If using a standard wheat-flour based crust bake at ;425 for 15 minutes to firm crust. Reduce heat to 350 degrees. Bake 40 minutes more Test for doneness by inserting a paring knife midway from rim to center. If it comes out clean, your pumpkin pie is done. Serve warm or cold with whipped cream.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!