Silken tofu pumpkin pie

Tamara West

This dairy-free pumpkin pie has a wholesome base made of cashews, oats and dates and is just a little bit naughty with crystallised ginger. Silken tofu has a very smooth texture and a milky, nutty taste that pairs happily with pumpkin and coconut cream for the filling. Choose a good dry pumpkin otherwise the filling will be too wet — buttercup is ideal. This pie will keep in the fridge for at least a week. It’s good to make it the day before you want to serve it so the base can soften and meld with the filling, and the spices can release their flavour. You can plop a dollop of chilled coconut cream on the side if you feel like an extra touch of luxury.

Ingredients

1 cup	Raw cashew nuts
1 cup	Oats
1 cup	Dates, chopped
1	Lemon, zest
2 Tbsp	Lemon juice
½ tsp	Salt
¼ cup	Crystalised ginger

Filling

1	Buttercup pumpkin, enough to make 2 cups steamed (Main)
300 g	Firm tofu, silken, I use Morinaga brand (Main)
1 cup	Coconut cream
¼ cup	Flaxseed oil, or sunflower
¼ cup	Honey, warmed to soften
2 Tbsp	Orange juice
2 tsp	Cinnamon
1 tsp	Ground ginger
1/8 tsp	Nutmeg
½	Lemons, zest grated

Directions

1. Heat oven to 170C.
2. Place cashews, oats, dates, lemon zest and juice, salt and crystallised ginger in a food processor and run until they clump together. Press firmly with fingers into a 23cm pie dish lined with baking paper and bake for 15 minutes.
3. To make the filling, cut pumpkin into big slices and steam for about 15 minutes until soft. Remove from steamer and leave to dry out for a few minutes before continuing. Remove skin from pumpkin and measure out 2 cups. Place in a food processor with remaining ingredients and run until very smooth, at least 1 minute. Pour into the pie dish and spread evenly with a spatula.
4. Reduce oven to 150C and bake for 25 minutes until the filling has a slightly firm top with decorative cracks all over

tip

Check out Ray McVinnie's video on'How to make chocolate shards'