IN THE KITCHEN: Of pies and sweeteners, now that the holidays are upon us

By FAITH BAHADURIAN Special Writer
    I’ve been on a pie quest — and I’ve found a pecan pie at Whole Foods that is a winner. Not only is the crust flaky and the pecans on top well browned and crunchy, but the pie is not too sweet, for a change. So many people tell me they don’t enjoy pecan pie because of the blinding sweetness from the corn syrup used in most recipes, and I have to agree with them. Because of that, I’ve made some version of a combination pumpkin-pecan pie in recent years, rather than straight pecan (or straight pumpkin, which I don’t much care for).
    When I checked out the ingredient list for the Whole Foods pie I’d bought, the filling contained pecans, eggs, brown rice syrup, Sucanat (pressed sugar cane similar to brown sugar), and vanilla.
    Brown rice syrup is made by combining small amounts of sprouted rice or barley with cooked brown rice and water, and then cooking it all down until a golden syrup with a butterscotch flavor is formed. That flavor goes great with nuts, and is only about half as sweet as sugar. Its complex carbohydrates are metabolized more slowly, lowering its glycemic index, which helps avoid the sugar “blues.” This is a good thing, although, of course, any doctor will warn you that sugar is sugar and calories are calories, in the end.
    I also like the big, flat, crisp vegan chocolate chip cookies sold at the Whole Earth Center, which contain almonds and oatmeal. Those are lightly sweetened with — but don’t taste of — maple syrup (not low glycemic), but I’ll try making some at home with brown rice syrup.
    Most traditionally sweetened baked goods now taste too sweet to me, which is, believe me, a good thing. This has led me to buy brown rice syrup and its “cousin,” barley malt syrup, plus agave nectar, so I can start experimenting at home.
    If you decide to make a pecan pie from a family or traditional recipe, you can substitute brown rice syrup for the corn syrup in equal measure. But if you are substituting brown rice syrup for brown or granulated sugar, use about ¼ to 1/3 more syrup, and cut back on another liquid to make up for that volume. (I found information and tips for substituting sweeteners at many online sites.)
    If you’d like to combine two favorite Thanksgiving pies, as I do, here are a couple of recipes that use combinations of pecans and pumpkin. Happy baking and Thanksgiving!
VEGAN PUMPKIN PECAN PIE
adapted from www.wholefood smarket.com
8 servings (one 8-inch pie)
The crust will be enough for two pies; freeze the extra one or make a double batch of filling. F.B.
Crust:
    2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    ½ cup pecan pieces
    1 teaspoon salt
    1 tablespoon sugar
    1 cup Spectrum shortening
Filling:
    1 (16-ounce) package extra firm light silken tofu
    1 (16-ounce) can pumpkin purée
    ½ cup sugar
    ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    ½ teaspoon salt
    1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
    ½ teaspoon ground ginger
    ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
    1 cup pecan halves
    Non-dairy topping (optional)
For the crust, pulse flour, pecans, salt and sugar in a food processor until pecans are ground. Add shortening and pulse until almost combined, then add 3 tablespoons ice water and pulse until just blended. Gather dough into two balls, then press each into a disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for several hours until firm. Once chilled, roll out into 9-inch circle on a lightly floured surface and fit into an 8-inch pie pan. Refrigerate until ready to use.
    For the filling, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Blend tofu in a food processor or blender until creamy and smooth. Add pumpkin, sugar, ¼ cup of the maple syrup, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, ginger and cloves and blend well. Set aside. Set aside 8 pecan halves to use for garnish. Chop remaining pecans and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons maple syrup, then place evenly on the bottom of the pie shell. Pour filling into pie shell and bake approximately 1 hour, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes clean. Set pie aside to let cool, then top with non-dairy topping, if using, and decorate with reserved pecan halves.
PUMPKIN PIE
with a PECAN CRUST
and GARNISH
Crust adapted from www.cook s.comwww.therecipebox.com
I made this pie for Thanksgiving last year, and it was great. It uses a pressed in pie crust, so no rolling! If I were making it now, I would use a mix of whole wheat pastry and white flours for the crust. And I would substitute rich, brown, barley malt syrup for at least some of the brown sugar in the filling. F.B.
Crust:
    1 cup all-purpose flour
    ¼ cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
    ½ teaspoon cinnamon
    ½ cup toasted pecans, finely chopped
    ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons butter, melted
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine all ingredients; stir well. Press onto bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Pre-bake crust 15 minutes. Turn oven down to 350 while you make the filling.
Filling:
    2 eggs
    1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée (not pie filling)
    1 12-ounce can evaporated milk (not sweetened)
    1 cup packed brown sugar
    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    1 teaspoon ginger
    ¼ teaspoon salt
    ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
    ¼ teaspoon ground clove
    About 12-14 pecan halves, for garnish
Into a large bowl, lightly whisk eggs. Stir in pumpkin purée, evaporated milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, salt, nutmeg and ground clove. Pour into pie shell.
    Place reserved pecan halves around the rim, on top of the custard at evenly spaced intervals — it makes slicing/portioning easy.
    Bake at 350 degrees for an hour, or until custard is completely set.
Read Faith Bahadurian’s blog at www.packetinsider.com/blog/ njspice/.