Caramel Pumpkin & Pecan Pie

Pumpkin pie truly reigns supreme as king of the autumn desserts and for good reason... This luscious, moist, luxurious - aka posh pumpkin pie, is the perfect pie to serve to your guests during the autumn and fall season. This pumpkin pie is different from your traditional pumpkin pie and better, it has two layers of autumnal goodness and is completely grain-free. The first layer of the pie is made using doce de leite (this is how you say it in Portuguese), a type of caramel made in south America. It's called dulce de leche in Spanish and is known as caramelised milk or milk jam in English and it's made by slowly heating sugar and milk together for several hours. We found that this pie is actually better to make the day before serving and to be left in the fridge overnight, as it seems to taste better with each passing day. Besides being so tasty, pumpkin pies are also considered one of the healthiest desserts you can have and this recipe is no exception as (besides the caramel) it's completely refined sugar free. Now I'm not being biased, but this is one of the best pumpkin pies I've ever had and so let's get on with this delicious recipe.

Happy Cooking!

The Chai Home 😋

INGREDIENTS

Approx 16 small servings

For the pumpkin pie filling

• 1 1/2 cups of pumpkin puree

• 1/2 cup of canned coconut milk

• 3x eggs

• 1/2 cup of honey (or maple syrup)

• 1 tbsp of pumpkin spice

• 1x tsp of vanilla extract

• pinch of salt

For the pecan filling

• 1 1/2 cups of pecans

• 2 heaped tbsp of doce de leite (caramel)

For the pastry

• 1 1/2 cups of cassava flour ( or flour of your choice )

• pinch of salt

• 120g of cold butter

• 25g of caster sugar

• 1x egg yolk

METHOD

For the pastry

In a large mixing bowl add your flour, salt, sugar and butter and rub together until it resembles fine bread crumbs.

Add the egg yolk and combine together with your hands. Add a tsp of cold water if too crumbly.

Work the dough into a ball, cover with clingfilm and place it into the fridge for 30 minutes.

For the pumpkin pie filling

Add all of the ingredients to a large mixing bowl and mix together well until fully combined.

For the pecan filling

Add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and mix together well until all the pecans have been fully incorporated into the caramel.

Preheat the oven to 180 C

Grease your pie dish and set aside.

Take the dough out of the fridge and transfer to a lightly floured surface.

Roll the dough to fit your dish.

Line the dish with the pastry and using a knife trim off any excess. (Note that working with cassava flour pastry can be difficult, as it is very crumbly, some patchwork may be needed.)

Pop the pie crust into the preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and distribute the pecan filling across the surface of the pie crust, forming a nice even layer.

Now pour all of your pumpkin pie filling on top, making sure to evenly distribute it to all parts of the pie.

Now place it into the oven for 55 - 60 minutes.

Remove from the oven and place it into the fridge to cool for at least two hours. (The pie will still feel wet and undercooked once you remove it from the oven, this is due to the caramel.)

If desired you can also refrigerate the pie overnight in an airtight container, we find that it tastes better the next day.

Remove the pie from the fridge. (It should have firmed up a little bit.)

Decorate with desired toppings (we like to decorate it with pecans), serve and enjoy!

Consume immediately or store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 - 4 days