Monday 8 October 2012

Pumpkin Pie

It's Thanksgiving here in Canada, so in the holiday spirit I've made low-carb pumpkin pie! It's not as low-carb as I would like it to be, but compared at about 40-50g of carbs per slice for a 'regular' pumpkin pie, I'll take it! Though there are some ingredients that could be switched/adjusted to make this lower carb - I will list them under ingredients, but I haven't tried the adjusted pie myself.

I would like to stress that although this is a low-carb pie, everything in moderation! (I say, remembering the slice of pie I had with my coffee for breakfast today.)

Serving Size: 1 slice, makes 12 slices
Nutritional Information: (per slice) 154 calories, 11g of carbs & 2 g of fiber (9g net carbs), 13g of fat, 4g of protein.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Your Ingredients:

     Crust:
To make this a little lower carb, you could use ground pecan instead of ground almond. Pecans have more fiber, so your net carbs would be lower, but they are also higher in calories and fat. 

  • 1 cup of almond flour/ground almond
  • 1/4 cup of splenda
  • 4 tablespoons of butter

     Pie Filling:
I am finally starting to regret not having invested in liquid sweeteners so far. If you are using a liquid sweetener, your pie is probably already going to be considerably lower-carb than mine. I am pretty sure I may just go ahead and get me some of that.

Additionally, I used table cream for this recipe but heavy cream would also work. Heavy cream has more calories but is lower carb, so it's a trade-off as well.

  • 1 1/4 cups of pumpkin (I use canned pumpkin, NOT pumpkin pie filling)
  • 2 eggs
  • 2/3 cup of light (table cream) or heavy cream (I used table cream)
  • 1 cup choice sweetener (I am using  powdered splenda)
  • 4 teaspoons of pumpkin pie spice mix (You can get this mix at a bulk food store or look up how to make it yourself)
  • 2 teaspoons of cinnamon (The pumpkin pie spice mix has cinnamon in it, but more is better)

Your Tools:


  • A hand or stand mixer or food processor
  • A fork
  • Two mixing bowls
  • A 8 or 9 inch pie plate
  • Measuring cups, etc.


The Directions:

Step 1 -

Preheat your oven to 425F.

Step 2 -

We will be making the crust first. Put your butter in a regular sized bowl and microwave it for about 40 seconds. Then, add the sweetener and the almond flour as listed under "Crust" ingredients. Mix these ingredients with a fork until completely blended.


Step 3 -

Drop all the batter into your pie plate and use your fingers to press it along the bottom and up the edges. Refrigerate the crust for now.


Step 4 -

Okay, now we are making the pumpkin custard for the filling. Make sure you are using pure pumpkin and not pumpkin pie filling. You can put all the ingredients under "Pie Filling" in one bowl, in no specific order, and blend with your tool of choice (hand mixer, stand mixer, or food processor). The end result will look like pudding.


Step 5 -

Grab your pie crust out of the fridge and pour your pudding-like concoction into it, spreading it evenly. You may end up with extra filling (I did, and I used it to make mini personal pies). Put your pie in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 375F. After 15 minutes of baking at 375F, drop the temperature to 350F. The gradual change in temp will allow the crust to have some time to cook without overcooking the custard or burning the crust. Leave the pie baking at 350F for 30 minutes.


Step 6 -

Remove and let cool. The pie needs to be refrigerated once cooled. If you want to cover your pie with plastic or foil while refrigerating you can keep the condensation from dripping onto your pie or gathering onto your pie by laying a paper towel gently over the pie plate, putting the wrapping over it.


Finished Product

Enjoy this pie the day after with some real whipped cream and a coffee!



xo,
Jennifer

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