Pumpkin pie is a most delicious finish to a hearty Thanksgiving meal. But finding a good recipe for a parve pie is not so easy. Here is my recipe for a parve pumpkin pie, complete with recipe and instructions for your own, from scratch dough.

You can make cut the margarine into the flour using two knives, one knife in each hand, blades facing outward. But if you plan to make pie often, invest in a pastry blender. It’s easier to use, you just use it as if it were a potato masher, to cut the cubes of fat into the flour. It’s not an expensive item to purchase.

Finally, you could resort to your food processor, but you must be careful not to overmix, or your crust will be tough. Cut the fat into the flour using the steel knife and the pulse button. Then use brief pulses as you slowly add the water through the chute. Be very careful. Mix only until just mixed.

Plain Pastry for One Double-Crust Pie or Two Open-Face Pies

Ingredients:

• 2 cups sifted flour
• ¾ teaspoons salt
• 2/3 cup shortening (150 grams margarine), cold and cut into small cubes
• 4-6 tablespoons water (taken from container of ice water)

Method:

1. Sift flour together with salt.
2. Cut the cubes of margarine into the flour with two knives or a pastry blender, until the mixture looks like rough cornmeal. The largest pieces of margarine should be no bigger than a small pea.
3. Add water, a tablespoon at a time, as you mix gently with fork, just until all flour is moistened and mixture will hold together.
4. Divide dough into two parts. Place each on squares of plastic wrap and flatten into discs. Enclose the dough in the plastic wrap and refrigerate for a few hours or overnight.
5. Take dough out of fridge, 15 minutes before rolling out the dough, to soften.
6. With rolling pin, roll out each disc of dough on a lightly floured pastry cloth or linen towel, rolling from the center out, in all directions, until dough is a ¼ inch thick round.
7. Lightly roll 1 dough circle around rolling pin, and let it unroll over a pie dish.
8. Prick the bottom of the pie crust in several places.
9. Either roll the second dough circle over a second pie dish, if making two open-face pies, or use the second dough circle to top the filling of a closed, double-crusted pie (such as apple pie).

To bake two blind crusts for an open-faced pie, such as for pumpkin or pecan pie:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F, flute the rims higher than usual (the crust will shrink), and place the pie shells in the freezer for 15 minutes to firm.
2. Place a piece of foil directly on the surfaces of the cold pie dough, pressing to conform to the shape, and pour in pie weights or dry beans to fill the shells. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
3. Remove pie weights or beans and continue to bake until light golden brown and baked through, another 15 minutes or so. Cool on racks.

To create one double-crust pie, such as apple:

1. Place filling atop unbaked bottom crust. Wet a pastry brush with water, and run it around the top edge of the unbaked bottom crust. Gently lay on the unbaked top crust, and pat gently all around the outer edge, to ensure crusts adhere to each other.
2. Crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers, and then prick the top crust with a fork in several places.
3. Cut a decorative vent in the center of the pie to allow the steam to escape from the filling.
4. Bake the pie according to the instructions in your recipe.

Parve Pumpkin Pie

Yield: 3-4 pies

Ingredients:

• 6 eggs
• 3 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground ginger
• ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups canned coconut cream, heated until hot, but not boiling
• 3-4 blind-baked 9-inch pie shells

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350°
2. Beat eggs in large bowl.
3. Add pumpkin and mix at low speed.
4. Add dry ingredients continuing to beat on low.
5. Slowly whisk in coconut cream.
6. Pour filling into pie shells and bake 30-40 minutes until knife, when inserted off-center into pie, comes out clean. The center of the pie will continue to cook after the pie is removed from the oven. Do not overbake.
7. Cool pies on racks