Chocolate-Pumpkin Pie

Based on a recipe I found in a 2003 Martha Stewart Living.  Of course, this is my version, non-dairy and wheat free.  Dark chocolate is dairy free.  I've been perfecting the pumpkin pie filling for years.  And a crust is based on the Butterscotch Brownie Recipe. So here goes.

Crust:
3/4 cup brown rice flour
1/4 cup sugar (optional)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (I used the cocoa mix that I had, which was sweetened, so I left out the sugar)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter or ghee (melted)
1 egg
(4 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped)

Now mix this as if you are making cookies (except don't add the semisweet chocolate).  The dough should be stiff enough to handle and easily press into the pie plate.  Try to bring it up on the sides and flute the edges with wet fingers.  Then poke with a fork and bake at 350 for about 15 minutes.

While it's baking, add to blender and whirl until smooth:
1 can organic pumpkin puree (or bake a pumpkin and scoop out yummy pulp)
1/2 cup (loose not packed) brown sugar
8 oz. coconut milk (not reduced fat)
3 large eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp cloves

Remove baked pie shell  from oven and sprinkle 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, over the bottom of shell.  I went with the candy bar that'd been luring me from the silverware drawer for months.  It was one of those 75% dark chocolate bars--trying to be good, you know how it is?

Pour the pie filling over chocolate chunks and bake about 40 minutes.  Cool on a rack.

Now heat in double-boiler 2 oz. of chocolate.  This is what you'll drizzle from a spoon over the top of pie.  Make lines back and forth, like the lie-detector lines that go crazy when someone asks, did you eat the last piece of pie?  If there's any left, refrigerate.

Enjoy!
Nancy

Beets, Roasted with Orange & Ginger

Heat oven to 425.

4 medium beets, trimmed and scrubbed

3 tbl olive Oil

Salt and Pepper

1 medium orange

1/12 tsp sherry vinegar

3/4 tsp grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup toasted pecan halves

Drizzle beets with olive oil, salt and pepper and wrap in aluminum foil.  Place on baking sheet and roast until tender when pierced with a fork, about 1 hour.   Cool to handling.

With zester, remove a quarter of the orange rind in long, thin strips.  Peel and remove segments from half the orange.  Squeeze juice from remaining half.  Mix 1 tbl juice with vinegar and ginger and whisk in remaining 2 tbl of olive oil.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Peel beets and quarter; toss in a bowl with vinaigrette.  Mix in orange segments, zest, and pecans, reserving some of each as garnish.

Serves 4

Martha Stewart's Food Magazine