Pumpkin Pie with Soy Milk?

theeye · #1 11-27-2002, 12:54 PM

Hey, you kitchen experts! Got any thoughts on this?

We're planning on making a pumpkin pie for the upcoming festival o' thanks. Thing is that, as we're having the traditional turkey and as our religious dietary code thus precludes any milk products in the meal, we're planning on substituting soy milk (vanilla flavored, in fact) for the evaporated milk in the recipe on the pumpkin pie filling can (ok, so this isn't going to be exactly 'from scratch' -- so sue me).

Anyone have any idea as to whether this will produce (a) a pie indistinguishable from any other classic pumpkin pie, (b) a creature only remotely related to a 'real' pumpkin pie, but delicious nonetheless, or (c) a disaster to relate to our grandchildren one day, God willing, poo-poo-poo?

**conradd** · #2 11-27-2002, 01:31 PM

At best, you've got a culinary masterpiece. Go for it and let us know what happens - cautionary tales are always fun to read.

Deb

AmyLEnsor · #3 11-27-2002, 02:02 PM

I think it should turn out fine, but then I am not a pumpkin pie connoisseur. I am making a pumpkin pie for tomorrow, and I've been checking out different recipes. I have two vegan recipes, one which calls for agar powder and arrowroot powder, and the other calls for silken tofu and cornstarch. I would have tried the first one, but I couldn't find the agar powder and the book was very specific that it couldn't be the flakes. The recipe I'm going to use calls for cream, but I've seen recipes that call for sweetened condensed milk, evaporated milk, or no milk at all (the newspaper had a cranberry pumpkin pie that only uses eggs). Yesterday I decided to try out a sweet potato pie, and it called for either buttermilk or sour cream. I used some really sour kefir that probably should have been thrown away.

It turned out OK, except for the crust, but that's another story. So I think you can use soymilk without any problems. It might be a little more watery than evaporated milk--you could use some soymilk creamer along with the soymilk if that is a concern.

AdaDavis · #4 11-27-2002, 02:21 PM

It will work just fine. The biggest problem would be that any good soy milk is roughly the taste and consistency of whole (4%) milk - much thinner than a can of condensed. If you are really picky, you can make that up by added powdered soy or about a teaspoon of arrowroot to your "one can of condensed milk" soy substitute.

I would highly recommend using Vanilla Silk soymilk, if you can find it. It has the best flavor and holds up well in cooking. The flavor and consistency are so close to milk that I have given it to carnivorous relatives (to put in coffee, add to cereal), and they never realized it was soy. And these were people who say "Tofu! Oh, yuk. Don't try to feed me any of that awful stuff! " So I just smile, hand them the soy milk "creamer" and soy hotdogs, and say "Nope. No tofu in this stuff."

AmyLEnsor · #5 11-27-2002, 05:45 PM

OK, soy hotdogs that taste like meat ones? This I got to taste. Although I slather so much mustard and relish on them, I don't mind the tofu dogs, but I've never found any that I could eat plain.

AdaDavis · #6 11-27-2002, 06:20 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by AmyLEnsor
OK, soy hotdogs that taste like meat ones? This I got to taste.

Try the Morningstar Farms Veggie Dogs. Put a little BBQ sauce on them and then grill. Pop in a bun with mustard/whatever, and most carnivores never can tell the difference. If they vaguely wonder why it tastes a bit different - tell 'em it is a low-fat variety (which it is.)

Plain hot dogs? Who eats plain hot dogs/no bun? Well, maybe the family dogs, it they can sneak one away. (And yes, my two would gobble up a veggie dog, given half a chance.)

**hadassahchana**[$] · #7 11-27-2002, 06:33 PM

Eye, I always use soy milk in my pumpkin pies. I add one extra egg to give it the right consistancy, and they are really yummy.

Are you going to make an extra and freeze it for later? she says hopefully.

Cindy

mtbat · #8 11-27-2002, 06:52 PM

will you be on latter? I know my mother had made a pumpkin pie with soy but I don't know what kind she used(it might have been the one Adadavis menttioned)

She isn't off until 5 and impossible to reach at work.

I would guess soy would work just fine.

theeye · #9 11-27-2002, 07:45 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by hadassahchana
Eye, I always use soy milk in my pumpkin pies. I add one extra egg to give it the right consistancy, and they are really yummy.

Are you going to make an extra and freeze it for later? she says hopefully.

Cindy

Great! We'll use the extra egg.

And once we see how yummy it is, I imagine we might be making another in a couple of weeks.

**hadassahchana**[$] · #10 11-27-2002, 08:13 PM

Quote:

And once we see how yummy it is, I imagine we might be making another in a couple of weeks

Cindy

mtbat · #11 11-27-2002, 10:49 PM

my mother uses Tofu instead of soy milk. It's actually very yummy and If you ever feel creative let me know and I'll post the recipe

**jgibson2**[$] · #12 11-27-2002, 11:04 PM

I once used a left-over can of soy formula concentrate in pumkin pies and nobody noticed. Soy milk is a little thinner, so the extra egg sounds like a good idea.

I was amazed that the pies turned out so well. That soy formula is really nasty compared with most of the soy milks.

theeye · #13 11-28-2002, 02:09 AM

Well, two pumpkin pies are in the oven right now. Smelling pretty good, too.