Circular

Most of the food featured below was made (and probably stored) in circular equipment.  Much like my logic.

Last Sunday, when I returned to New Jersey, I made a pecan-oatmeal pie in a raisin-oat-almond crust.  I modified the usual pecan pie filling recipe that I’ve been using for the traditional pecan pie and chocolate pecan brownie pie, adding oats, according to this Cooking Light recipe.  My mom has made this pie a fair few times as post-Thanksgiving pie, and I wanted it, deglutinised, four months later.  You could make it with the traditional flour-based crust, but I made a nut-oat-raisin one just ’cause.

Oatmeal Pecan Pie

Works cited: Robertson, Robin.  1,000 Vegan Recipes.  462-3.

Cooking Light’s Oatmeal Pecan Pie: http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/oatmeal-pecan-pie-10000001545731/

Crust:

1 cup rolled oats (make sure they’re GF)

1/3 cup raisins, soaked

1 cup whole almonds, soaked

2 tablespoons coconut oil (solid)

~1/4 cup soaking water

Filling:

3 tablespoons cornstarch

¼ cup water

¾ cup maple syrup

¾ cup water [no, this is not a mistake to have two different measurements of water]

½ cup regular organic sugar

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

1 tablespoon coconut oil (solid)

1 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup rolled oats (make sure they’re GF)

1/2 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and grease a 9” pie plate.

In a food processor, process the oats until they’re powdery.  Add everything else and process.  Add soaking liquid as necessary until the crust mostly coheres and forms a ball (or blob).  Transfer to the pie plate and spread over the bottom and up the sides of the plate.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, MIX the cornstarch with ¼ cup water (seriously, blend it up, because you don’t want cornstarch lumps in your filling).  In a medium-sized saucepan, bring the maple syrup, ¾ cup water, and sugar to a boil over high heat.  Boil for five minutes.  Once the filling has boiled for five minutes, stir in the salt and the cornstarch mixture.  Continue to cook over high heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture becomes shiny and thick, and bubbles break open on the surface.  Turn off the heat.  Add the coconut oil and vanilla and stir to melt completely.  Fold in the oats and nuts and stir to coat.  Transfer the filling to the crust.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the crust has browned on the edges and the filling does not jiggle too much in the centre.  Cool completely before refrigerating.  Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight before serving.

I, of course, didn’t wait, since the pie was baking while I was eating dinner, so here’s a pie blob picture:

Pecan pie reminds me of the pie in the music video for Marilyn Manson's "The Nobodies."  See about 3:18 in this YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9dW8_qOjzQ&feature=related.

My friend David and I had this pie for dessert when we made dinner together on Tuesday.  In the dorm kitchen we cooked:

spicy tofu browned on cast-iron (extra-firm tofu, cayenne, cumin, half a bulb of roasted garlic, a tiny bit of olive oil),

lentil-quinoa pilaf (green lentils, quinoa, veg broth, and white wine vinegar),

and burny-face kale (kale, red onion, the other half of the bulb of roasted garlic, cayenne, cumin).

As David said, the cayenne was a nice bright punch after you’re first hit with the cumin.