I finally accomplished one of the priorities on my kitchen bucket list--making homemade pie crust! When I was talking to my dad on the phone and told him, his reply was "I thought you were supposed to make that 4 years ago." This was my most procrastinated mission of all time, and when I finally gave it a try, it was the easiest process ever. I found a recipe for crust that had minimal ingredients, and I was able to convert it into a vegan treat by swapping out a few things.
I decided to use the crust only on the bottom of the pie and skipped making a top layer to cut back on fats and carbs. For the filling, I used a blend of fresh apricots, peaches, blackberries, and strawberries. Once you make the crust, you can choose to double the recipe below to make a top layer for your pie, or you could line a cupcake pan and make mini pies. You can use any fresh fruit that you have available and add in spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.) to your liking. There is no need to add any sweetener to the filling because once baked, the sugars in the fruit caramelize and sweeten the pie themselves.
YIELDS
1 Pie
PREP TIME
COOK TIME
TOTAL TIME
- 2 apricots, cubed
- 2 peaches, cubed
- 1 cup blackberries
- 1 cup strawberries, sliced
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon melted vegan butter
- 1 cup organic, unbleached flour
- 6 tablespoons earthbalance butter, solid
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup cold water
Directions
1. Pre-heat the oven to 400°F and grease a 9-inch pie tin, cast iron pan, etc.
2. Add the flour and the salt to a blender and mix. Add the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse until the mixture turns crumbly. Add the water and blend until a ball of dough forms.
3. Remove dough from blender and knead it to form a ball before you roll it out. Wrap it in saran wrap and store it in the fridge for an hour to chill and gain its form.
4. While the dough is chilling in the fridge, you can prepare your fruit. Once chopped, add all the fruit to a bowl and mix evenly.
5. Remove the dough from the fridge and line your baking pan to make the crust, pinching the edges along the top. Brush the melted butter over the crust and sprinkle the brown sugar all over.
6. Pour the mixed fruit into the crust.
7. Bake for about 40 minutes and remove when the crust is golden brown.
This would be good eaten as a breakfast or dessert paired with vegan yogurt, ice cream, etc.
A lot of the prep time is waiting for the dough to be ready. To cut back on time, you can make the dough the night before, roll it out, and keep it wrapped in plastic in the fridge.
Also by Lauren: Stuffed Grape Leaves
Related: Pecan Crusted Raspberry Tart
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Photo: Lauren Sacerdote
