This Thanksgiving, Kill and I went to three consecutive dinners which isn't that strange for us being from a blended family :). I like being able to make pie because people think that's it's impressive and I learned how to make pie from grandma Sanka. We'd practice every summer and I think that it's ideal to learn from the best, which I did.
All in all Kill and I made 6 pies: vegan pumpkin with pecan and chocolate (x2), saskatoon berry, apple blackberry, peach raspberry and finally, blueberry. My favourite was the peach pie and here's the recipe for both vegan pie crust and peach pie filling!
Vegan pie crust (makes 2 crusts - one for the top and another for the bottom)
- 1 stick of foil wrapped vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
- 1 stick of foil wrapped vegan shortening (Earth Balance)
- 2 cups whole wheat flour
- 6 tbsp cold water
Take the margarine out of the fridge and use a knife to cut it into jolly rancher sized pieces into a bowl, add the flour and mix it with your hands but take off your rings because this stuff sticks. Once it's a bit crumbly, add in the cold water and mix it until it forms a big clump. Separate it into two even balls and wrap them in wax paper then, put it in the fridge for 10-30 minutes. Take out your crust and put one ball down onto floured, wax paper or a waxed pie crust sheet. Put some flour on top of the ball and place another sheet of wax paper on top then start to roll dough into a circle. After 3 rolls, flip the crust while inside of the paper and peel of the top, adding more flour so that it doesn't stick. Keep doing the flip and roll until it's bigger than the bottom of your pie plate.
Vegan peach pie filling (makes 1)
- 3 peaches (peeled and cut in random pieces)
- 1/2 cup apricot jam (any orange type would do)
- 1 tbsp dark honey
- 4 tbsp arrowroot powder (also called kuzu)
- 1/4 cup warm water
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 1 cup rasberries
In a medium sized pot, bring jam and honey to a simmer then add peaches, arrowroot dissolved in warm water, cinnamon and salt and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add it to the pie and put fresh raspberries on top of filling. Put on your second pie shell and get ready to bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes! If you're interested in how to make a lattice top like in the right picture then you just cut your top crust into strips and alternate direction when you place it on top - it's easier than trying to keep the whole crust intact, actually!