Pumpkin Pie Success

So, I have wanted to experiment with pumpkin pie for a long time but have never tried it until now. I have tried in the past to use different types of milk, and it has worked, so I knew it was a possibility. As a person who is lactose intolerant, most pumpkin pie is off-limits because, as a custard, it needs some sort of milk-like liquid to make it work properly. I have used rice milk in the past, but rice milk is very sugary. The other half of my experiment was to reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe but without greatly altering the flavor or texture. I had some ideas and ran with them and was happily surprised at how good it all turned out. The base of the recipe is the tried and true recipe from the can of Libby's pumpkin puree, the kind without the spices, just the pumpkin. The canned pumpkin I used was actually Trader Joe's brand, so the color is a bit different, but I think the flavor was the same.

Summer's Pumpkin Pie:
1 can(15oz.) canned pumpkin
1 can(13.5oz or however size your brand comes in) coconut milk, simmered to evaporate down to 12 oz. and cooled off
2 eggs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1 unbaked deep-dish pie shell

In a large mixing bowl, mix all the items except for the pie shell, with a whisk.

Place the pie dough in a pie dish or if you are using one in a tin, leave it in the tin. Press the dough into the pie dish and with a fork, prick the dough all over to keep from puffing while baking. Place the tin or dish on a baking sheet and pour the filling into the shell.

Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then turn it down to 350. Bake for 50-60 minutes, taking the time to remove it from the oven and cover the crust edges with foil if it begins to brown too much. The center will jiggle slightly, but you don't want it to jiggle too much. The top will start to crack, but this is ok.

This needs to chill like any other pumpkin pie to let all the flavors develop properly. Because there is less sugar, the spices come through more strongly. The coconut milk is not terribly noticeable. To my taste buds, it tasted just like any other pumpkin pie, which is what my goal was. My coworkers seemed to like it, and my parents thought it was ok, but hadn't tried it with whipped cream yet. I eat mine without any topping, but by all means, put Cool Whip or whipped cream on it if you so desire! I even have an idea for how to do a gluten free version with sort of a streusel/granola topping and no dough. We'll see what I come up with, if there's any demand besides myself for Thanksgiving dinner. Those of you who will be coming to Thanksgiving this year, let me know if you're interested and I'll plan on making this for you!