Category: Recipes

November 23, 2012

Low-Carb Praline Pumpkin Pie

(Update: I have made a couple of modifications since starting this post and really apologize it was not done before Thanksgiving. It is just that good, however; I think you should make it whenever the mood for pumpkin sweetness hits you. Like today).

My favorite-most pie in the whole wide world is a praline pumpkin pie that my mom started making many, many years. It is the best one in the world. The thing that makes it so special is the scalding of some milk and water before mixing the ingredients together. No other pumpkin pie holds a candle to this one. I scoured the internet and blogs in search of recipes. None of them seemed like they would really work for me.

I did find two low-carb crust recipes: one uses almond flour as a crust and the other was just using finely chopped pecans, brown sugar and butter. Well, I am not using sugar but … you know what I mean. So, I decided to use a praline crust: partly because I can’t make crusts and partly because I wasn’t sure how the almond crust would merge with the praline layer.

First, gather up the ingredients:

Notice the mortar and pestle. I am a salt snob. I only use Celtic Sea Salt. It is large, crystal-like rocks. Before my m&p, I would have to grind out what I needed. Not any more! Also, just to brag a little. Notice the KA in the background. That monster is over 30 years old. It was the smallest commercial mixer available when my dad bought it. If I remember correctly, it is a KA5. Or something like that. It is a powerhouse and I am in love with it.

Here is what I used for the pie crust:

Praline Pie Crust

1 cup finely chopped pecans
4 TBL melted butter
1/2 cup sugar substitute (I used … Ideal)
a titch of blackstrap molasses

Melt the butter, add the pecans, sweeteners and mix together well. Press into the bottom of a pie plate and bake at 450 for 8 – 10 minutes. It will burn rapidly so watch carefully. Remove from oven and let cool. Turn oven down to 350.

This is what a twitch looks like. This is a dinner teaspoon.

Ready for the oven:

Baked to perfection!!

Now for the custard. This is just so good. When we make it for a non-low carb pie, we get enough custard leftover that we just put it in a dish and bake it. No need for a crust. Yes, it is that good.

Pumpkin Custard

1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup water
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin (this is NOT pie filling)
a scant 1 cup of sweetener (I used Ideal)
a titch of mollasses
1 1/2 tea pumpkin pie spice
1 tea salt

Scald the cream and the water. In a separate bowl, beat eggs slightly. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Add the milk mixture last and mix thoroughly. Pour into the cooled pie crust. Don’t be worried if a few of the pecans float to the top. It will still be yummy.

Already for the liquids!

Scalding of the milk really doesn’t take that long. Is it necessary? I have no idea but I love the pie and am not willing to chance it. Why mess with perfection, unless it is to make it low carb??

Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes, until set but still soft. A knife inserted in the center should come out clean.

All set for the oven!

Cool on wire rack. Tell everyone to back away from the pie!

The first one, I used a full cup of Ideal and it was a bit too sweet for me. No one else thought so but no one else complained about the other two I made with less.

Oh so good!

July 11, 2012

Mock Potato Salad

I love carbs. Potatoes are a favorite. I remember as a kid, getting mom to give me raw slices of potatoes and I would put salt on them and gobble them up. heck, I would even slice a whole raw potato and eat one for a snack as an adult. I love a good potato salad and the recipe I got from my mom … fits that bill to a T. I wanted to make it into something I could eat without spiking my blood sugar.

I scoured the ‘net and found I could use cauliflower for the potatoes so … I dug up my mom’s recipe, made a few tweaks and … voila!

I present to you the best mock potato salad you will ever eat (at least I think so!)

2 heads of cauliflower

6 hard-boiled eggs
1 pound bacon (cut up before cooking … or bake it and leave it whole then cut it up)
1 good-sized onion (Vadalia or sweet are best)
Sweet pickles to taste (about ¾ – 1 cup) (sweetened with Splenda)

Mix together:
Mayo

Mustard
A little pickle juice for moisture

Salt and pepper to taste (I don’t use pepper)

Cut up the cauliflower and steam it until it is cooked but still firm. Boil eggs. Cook bacon till done but not too crispy (I like my bacon in the oven – way less mess). Chop the eggs. Combine the cauliflower, eggs and bacon in a large bowl. Mix well with Miracle Whip mixture. Chill.

There is a secret ingredient. I know, I know. You thought I was holding out on you, didn’t you? Well … the secret ingredient is the bacon grease. Yes. Really. It is. If you bake the bacon, there won’t be as much grease as there would be if you fried it. Just do it. You know you want to.

Enjoy.

July 11, 2012

Baked Bacon

Yes, you ~~heard~~ errr, read that right. Bacon. In the oven. Sure, it heats up your kitchen but at least you are not standing over a hot pan for minutes and minutes on end, trying to get the perfect bacon and to keep it from splattering on your bare skin, or your favorite shirt. (Now, why you would be wearing your favorite shirt while frying bacon, I have no idea … change first!) Oh wait … you don’t need to change when baking it in the oven. If you have a toaster oven, less real estate to heat up the oven. My mom uses hers for bacon.

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place your bacon in a single layer on a baking sheet with edges (remember the drippings!). The pieces can touch but they can’t overlap. We had to not eat a chunk that didn’t get cooked well enough.

Start checking on the bacon after 15 minutes. I like thick cut back so it takes longer than the thin stuff.

Remove bacon from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.

The only real drawback of this method: no bacon grease in which to fry your eggs. I can live with that, though, as this gives me perfect bacon every time. RJ, my oldest son, can fry up perfect bacon. I don’t know how he does it. He certainly didn’t learn that from me. Since he won’t always make it for me, this is the next best thing.

See … I told you easy. I will add pictures to the post this weekend. When I make more bacon. In the oven.