Recipe

The crust can be baked, cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature for one day.

Cookie-Almond Crust

• 4 cookies (I used Pamela’s ginger cookies)
• Handful of sliced almonds
• About 4 ounces marzipan (mine was hard, so I microwaved to soften)
• About 2+ tablespoons coconut oil (use more if necessary) or CF margarine

Pumpkin Filling

• 3 tablespoons cold orange juice
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons gelatin (from 1 package)
• 1 cup coconut milk (other CF milk substitute would probably work okay too)
• 2/3 cup (4 3/4 ounces) sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 3 large egg yolks
• 1 (15-ounce) can plain pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups)

1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.
2. Pulse cookies, almonds and marzipan in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses (you should have 1 cup crumbs). Add warm coconut oil in steady stream through feed tube while pulsing until crumbs are evenly moistened and resemble damp sand. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch pie plate and spread evenly over bottom and sides; wipe out food processor bowl and reserve. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or dry measuring cup, press and smooth crumbs into pie plate (see illustration, at left). Bake until fragrant and browned around edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.
3. FOR THE FILLING: Stir orange juice and vanilla together in medium bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over orange juice mixture and set aside to thicken, about 5 minutes.
4. Combine 1/2 cup coconut milk, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and spices in small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form at edges; remove from heat. Whisk remaining 1/3 cup sugar and yolks together in medium bowl until pale and slightly thickened. Slowly pour hot mixture into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with heatproof spatula, until custard is thickened and registers 175 to 180 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. (When properly cooked, custard should form slight ridge on tip of spatula when bottom of pan is scraped and spatula is lifted.) Immediately pour custard over gelatin mixture and stir until smooth and gelatin has completely dissolved.
5. Puree pumpkin in food processor until smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. With machine running, add remaining 1/2 cup coconut milk through feed tube in steady stream. Scrape sides of bowl and process for additional 10 to 15 seconds. Add pumpkin mixture to custard mixture and stir until completely smooth. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Chill pie, uncovered, until filling is just set, about 3 hours. Cover pie with plastic wrap and continue to chill until fully set, at least 6 and up to 24 hours. Cut pie into wedges and serve.

Serves 8