Guest post by Tina Dawson, Love is in My Tummy
Makes 4 mini pies
Ingredients
For the pie crust:
- 80 g coconut oil
- 134 g all purpose flour
- 3 g salt
- 50 g cold water
- 2 tbsp canned coconut milk, for brushing
For the filling:
- 650 g pumpkin, grated
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 2 tbsp almond milk, warm
- 2 cardamom pods, seeds crushed
- A generous pinch of saffron
- Pinch of salt
- 1 c sugar
For the marshmallow topping:
- 1/2 cup reduced aquafaba
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar (optional)
- 3/4 cup white sugar
For serving/garnishes:
- Pomegranate molasses
- Fresh pomegranate seeds
Method
Make the pie crust:
1. Chill the coconut oil for about 5 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes as it hardens, till it’s a grainy, scoopable consistency. Do not skip this step, it makes all the difference.
2. Add chilled coconut oil to the flour + salt and use a fork to ‘cut’ it into the flour until it resembles wet sand. Add water and knead to form a dough ball. Divide in 4 equal parts. Cover and chill till firm but not hard.
3. Working with one dough ball at a time (leaving the rest in the fridge), roll between two sheets of parchment paper till it is ¼” thick. Use it to fill one pie till, trimming off excess.
4. Use fondant cutter to cut leaves from the remaining pie crust trimmings. Line the rim with the leaves, overlapping over each other, taking care that none of the leaves protrude from the tin. Refrigerate. Repeat with remaining pie dough until all tins are filled.
5. Refrigerate all the filled pie tins.
6. Preheat oven to 425°F. Wrinkle 4 pieces of parchment paper and line the inside of the pie crust. Fill with pie weights.
7. Brush coconut milk on the exposed sides of the pie crust.
8. Bake in the preheated oven at 425°F for 15 minutes. Remove pie weights + parchment paper and continue baking for another 8 minutes.
9. Remove from oven and let cool completely.
Make the pumpkin filling:
1. Warm the almond milk and steep the saffron till golden and fragrant. Set aside.
2. Heat a large cast iron skillet and add the coconut oil.
3. Once warm, add the grated pumpkin, cover and cook until soft.
4. Stir in the saffron, ground cardamom seeds and sugar. Continue cooking on medium-low heat until it thickens and all the excess water evaporates.
5. Remove from heat and let cool completely.
Make the marshmallow topping:
1. Combine aquafaba, vanilla, and cream of tartar in a clean bowl. Whisk on high for 1 minute until pale and fluffy.
2. Sprinkle the sugar one spoon at a time and continue whisking for about 10 minutes, or until stiff peaks form.
3. Transfer to a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle.
Assemble:
1. Spoon pumpkin filling into the baked pie crusts.
2. Pipe the marshmallow frosting in small peaks over the filling.
3. Brulee the tops of the marshmallow frosting.
4. Serve chilled with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses and fresh pomegranate seeds.
Notes:
The marshmallow topping will make enough for two batches of pies. Refrigerate extras or use to top your holiday beverages (hot chocolate, cinnamon lattes, and the like).
This pie can be made several days in advance, thus saving you valuable time on the day of. Keep the shells and filling separate. Assemble on the day of, making sure to warm both the filling (stove top) and pie crust (350°F - 5 mins) separately just before assembly/serving, so the crust is crisp and the filling is warm.
All photos courtesy of Tina Dawson.
