Dessert, anyone?

Let's get right down to it, shall we? I've gotten loads of messages since yesterday from people who are totally down for no sugar in October...except for Thanksgiving, when a slice of pumpkin pie is an absolute necessity. To which I say, hell yes! But, I am committed to doing this project 100%, no exceptions, and for those of you who are open to an alternative, I give you....

Hang on a sec. Before I introduce today's recipe, I have to include a disclaimer: I hate low-cal, low-fat etc. 'cheating' desserts. Hate them. My approach to dessert is this: if you are doing everything right as far as diet and exercise is concerned, and you find yourself jonesing for dessert on a Saturday evening, you should have a dessert that is over-the-top awesome. It should be so good that a small serving is enough. So with that in mind, the following is not a low-cal, guilt-free (whatever that means) dessert. There are no artificial sweeteners (they activate my gag reflex). I have made no effort whatsoever to cut calories or fat. What I do recommend is that you use absolutely the best ingredients possible, and accept nothing less than full-fat, ORGANIC dairy products. They cost a little bit more and are sometimes harder to find, but they are worth every bit of the time and money because of the nutritional benefits, the superior taste, and your ecological footprint. So without further ado, check out my original recipe for....

SUGAR-LESS PUMPKIN PIE

Crust
1/3 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup walnuts
1tsp cinnamon

Turn the oven on to 375C, and grease a 9" springform pan. Chuck all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand. When that happens, press the crust into the bottom of the springform pan and stick it in the still-preheating oven.

Custard
3 eggs
1 1/3 cups condensed milk
2 cups canned pumpkin purée
2 tsp vanilla
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp ginger

Thoroughly mix all ingredients, then take the crust out of the oven and pour the custard layer into the pan. The oven should be hot by now; set a timer for 25min and wash the dishes. Or go relax.

Mousse Topping
2 cups whipping cream (organic if possible)
1/2 cup pumpkin purée
1/2 cup sour cream (again, full-fat organic is really the only way to go!)
1 tsp vanilla
2 tsp cinnamon
Pinch each of nutmeg, cloves, and ginger
(Optional) 3-5 drops of liquid stevia

Whip the whipping cream, then add the other stuff and mix it in. When the bottom part of your pie is cooled all the way (this is important, no joke), spread the mousse layer over the custard layer and sprinkle with cinnamon. Beauty!

So honestly, how does this measure up?

I liked it. I served it to my kids without telling them that it was anything other than regular pumpkin pie, and they both happily gobbled it down. After licking their plates clean they both said, "yeah, it was good...but not as good as your pumpkin pie usually is."

Haven't tried it on the husband yet - that will be the ultimate test! Will check in on that score tomorrow.