Culture
Nov 22, 2019
Next week, Americans will celebrate Thanksgiving and one key component to the meal is the finishing punctuation, pumpkin pie. However, with holiday party season also upon us, it’s an ideal time to indulge in something delicious without the guilt. Enter VB’s friend, chef Andrea Rodriquez, who whipped up his take on the all-American classic. However, Rodriquez swapped out the traditional butter crust for a shortcrust pastry composed of cassava and tapioca flour with white chia, pumpkin, and golden linseeds for a healthier slant. And while no piece of pie would be complete without a dollop of whipped cream, try Rodriquez’s innovative take which uses zero fat, zero added sugar coconut yoghurt and vanilla for a fresh finish.
Pumpkin Pie with Vanilla 'Meringue' Peaks (medium-hard difficulty)
Serves: 8-10
Dish notes: Gluten free, low fat, low carb
Ingredients:
100 grams coarsely ground almonds
100 grams tapioca flour
50 grams cassava flour
25 grams pumpkin seeds
25 grams golden linseed
1 tablespoon psyllium husk powder
1 tablespoon white chia seeds
170 grams coconut butter
3 egg whites, lightly whisked
10 grams truvia sweetener
800 grams cooked pumpkin
14 grams truvia sweetener
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
2 egg whites
1 tablespoon coconut butter
175 millilitres almond milk
200 grams zero fat, zero added sugar coconut yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla paste
Prepare shortcrust pastry by combining flours, psyllium husk powder, sweetener and a pinch of salt in a MagiMix
Add coconut butter and pulse until the mixture resemble wet breadcrumbs
Add egg whites and pulse until combined
Finally add almonds and seeds and pulse to combine
In a bowl bring together the dough mixture with your hands, cut a big piece of baking paper (double the size of a 20 centimetre cake tin) and fold like a book
Grease both sides of the folded paper with coconut butter or avocado oil spray
Put the dough in between the folded baking paper and roll flat (about 1 centimetre) with a rolling pin (the shortcrust may seem to be crumbling but you should easily be able to put it back together by using your fingertips to press it together by opening the folded paper while rolling
Quickly but carefully lift the folded paper with the crust in between and line on top of a greased 20 centimetre cake tin
Gently press it down to fill the tin (don’t worry if it breaks or collapse a little at this stage as you will be able to correct it)
Lift the paper side up and with a pair of scissors cut the excess paper and adjust crust with your hands or fingertips to nicely fill the cake tin and perforate a bit here and there with a fork
Refrigerate for 15 minutes then bake blind (covered by a sheet of baking paper and baking beans) in a preheated oven to 180°C fan
After, remove paper and baking beans and keep baking for a further 10 minutes
Take out of the oven and leave to cool slightly
In the meantime make the filling by combining in a MagiMix cooked pumpkin, spices and vanilla
Add coconut butter and milk and combine then transfer to a bowl
In a separate bowl whisk egg whites with sweetener until hard peaks form and mix delicately with the pumpkin mixture from bottom to top with a spatula
Pour the mixture into the tart case and return to the oven for an additional 30-35 minutes until your pie is cooked through
Take out of the oven and leave to cool
Prepare your decoration by whipping the coconut yoghurt with vanilla paste and put it inside a piping bag, cut tip of the bag open (small hole) and pipe tiny dots all around the pie surface resembling tiny meringues
Your pie is ready to be served