As the sun rises on Thanksgiving day, I will reflect on my life’s blessings. Above all else I am thankful for my husband and children who bring constant moments of clarity to a sometimes unclear world. I am thankful for the support of my family, the laughter and comfort of my friends, and those special moments of peace, when I can center myself, breathe, and appreciate all these gifts in my life.
And then there’s that other stuff in our lives. The stuff that continues to loom, ever present…processed food. Allow me to introduce this week’s Thanksgiving comparison between Sara Lee Pumpkin Pie and Out of the Box Food’s Maple Pumpkin Pie made with our Whole Wheat and Flax Crust and topped with your choice of either Maple Whipped Cream or a Maple Sour Cream Glaze. Please be sure to check out the description of Carrageenan, an ingredient found in the Sara Lee pie. It might encourage you to invest the time to make your own holiday pie. Or if you’re reading this and thinking, “who is she kidding?!”, then let someone else do the work and buy your pie from a reputable bakery and read the label.
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THE COMPARISON: Sara Lee Pumpkin Pie vs. Out of the Box Maple Pumpkin Pie
(All ingredients followed by an * can be referenced at www.wikipedia.org by clicking on the ingredient)
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Sara Lee Pumpkin Pie (frozen)
Ingredients:
- pumpkin
- whey
- high fructose corn syrup*
- enriched bleached flour (wheat flour, malted barley flour, niacin, iron, thiamine, mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid)
- water
- eggs
- vegetable oil (palm, soybean and/or cottonseed oils)
- corn syrup
Contains 2% or less of each the following:
- skim milk
- modified corn starch
- salt
- sugar
- spices (including cinnamon)
- carrageenan*
- natural flavor
- sodium tripolyphosphate*
- dextrin*
- dextrose*
- soy flour
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Out of the Box Food Maple Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
- 3 eggs, separated
- 1/4 C pure maple syrup
- 1 3/4 C fresh pumpkin (see recipe following), or 1, 15oz can pure pumpkin
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp cloves
- 1/8 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp ginger
- 1/4 C heavy cream
- 1/4 C half and half
- single pie crust (recipe following), or a natural refrigerated pie crust can be substituted
- 1 egg for egg wash
Directions:
- If making fresh pie crust, make dough (recipe following) and chill in refrigerator for 1 hour.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Roll dough between two sheets of parchment until thin.
- Remove top sheet of parchment, place exposed side of dough into pie plate then remove bottom sheet of parchment.
- Trim excess dough and crimp edges decoratively. Prick bottom of crust several times with a fork.
- In a small bowl, whisk 1 egg for egg wash.
- Pour dried beans in foil and make packet. Put bean/foil packet on bottom of pie crust and bake crust for 20 minutes. Remove foil packet and gently brush edges of crust with egg wash. Continue baking for additional 10 to 15 minutes or until golden brown all over. Cool completely.
- Meanwhile, in a large mixing bowl mix pumpkin, 3 egg yolks, cream, half and half, maple syrup and spices. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, whisk 3 egg whites until very frothy. Gently fold egg whites into pumpkin mixture.
- Pour pumpkin mixture into baked pie crust. Bake at 350 degrees for 50 minute – 1 hour or until center is slightly jiggly but set.
- Let cool.
- Top with Maple Whipped Cream or Maple Sour Cream Glaze (recipes following)
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Whole Wheat & Flax Pie Crust
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 C whole wheat pastry flour (see Perfect Pantry Staples)
- 2 tbsp flax meal
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 3 tbsp ice water
Directions:
- Place butter in the freezer for about 15 minutes (to make it extra cold).
- Whisk together flour, flax meal and sea salt.
- Cube butter into 1/2″ pieces and add to flour mixture. Add shortening.
- Blend together with pastry cutter, or pulse briefly with food processor until crumbly with small pea-sized pieces of butter ( Do not over mix or crust will not be flaky)
- Drizzle ice water over flour mixture and toss with a fork to combine. If you can squeeze a small amount of dough and have it stick together, dough is done. Otherwise, drizzle another teaspoon of ice water over dough.
- Turn dough out onto smooth surface and divide into four pieces.
- Using the heal of your hand, press dough forward a couple times to distribute the fats. Do not overwork the dough.
- Scrape all dough back together and place on a sheet of plastic wrap. Press down to form a 4-5″ disk and wrap in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until ready to use.
*Tip – To easily and efficiently roll out pastry dough: sandwich dough between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out dough then remove top layer of parchment. Leave bottom piece of parchment in place. From here you can either cut out dough for “pasties” or turnovers OR if making a pie, lay uncovered side down in pie dish, then remove second piece of parchment. This technique will save you from both a mess and diminishing the taste of your dough from excess flour, and will help prevent sticking.
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Fresh Pumpkin Puree
(Preferably use a small pumpkin specific for cooking labeled “sugar” or “pie” pumpkin.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Cut pumpkin in half (top of stem to bottom) and scoop out seeds. (you can rinse off the seeds, toss in olive oil and salt and roast for a delicious snack)
- Place pumpkin halves skin side down in roasting pan and cover.
- Bake for 45 – 75 minutes or until pumpkin flesh is soft.
- Scoop out flesh and puree in food processor until smooth.
- Reserve.
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Maple Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
- 1 C heavy whipping cream
- 1 1/2 tbsp pure maple syrup
Directions:
- Pour heavy whipping cream and maple syrup into mixing bowl.
- Beat until stiff peaks form (when you pull a spoon up the peaks remain)
- Serve dolloped on slices of pumpkin pie.
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Maple Sour Cream Glaze
Ingredients:
- 1 C sour cream
- 3 tsp maple syrup
Directions:
- Blend sour cream and maple syrup until smooth and incorporated.
- Spread sour cream glaze over pie.
- Serve.
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I will be taking this next week off to enjoy the holiday with my family. Out of the Box Food will be back in two weeks with another eye-opening look into the processed food world. May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and moments of clarity and peace.
