Receta Vegan Strawberry Pie
Sometimes you just want pie. Even when you're on a diet you just want pie. I happened to 'just want pie' the other day and so I 'just made pie'. I mean, why not? Right?
Also... strawberries? Not the most 'versatile' fruit known to man kind. I had 'cooker's block' when brainstorming what to do with all these strawberries I happened upon. So what do blogging cooks do when they have a block? I don't know about you, but I enter the Google world for inspiration.
Upon entering the wide world of Google, what did I find? A whole lot of nothing. Apparently I'm not the only one stumped on what to do with mass quantities of strawberries. All I can seem to conjure is strawberry spinach salad (duh), strawberry shortcake (double duh), strawberry cake (slightly interesting) and of course, strawberry lemonade (makes me reminiscent of my weekend with the boys and Kirsten :))
I suppose, for that matter, strawberries are versatile for most any type of cocktail creation. Cocktails seem to be the only slightly versatile thing to do with a strawberry. Anyone have anything to say about that?
Anyway, so I settled upon strawberry pie. Not strawberry rhubarb pie; strawberry pie. As 'harumph' as I was about not being very 'creative', the pie was really good and a huge hit at home and in the office. It was also quite easy, using the same crust recipe as the hand pies, the strawberries played center stage in this summery dessert. Score one for me... and perhaps strawberry as well!
kind of loose but very good. Ooh! that's what... nevermind.
Need:
For the crust:
- 1 cup unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 Tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 cup Earth Balance
- 4 Tablespoons ice water
- For the filling:
- 4 cups strawberries, washed, de-stemmed and quartered
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 4 Tablespoons corn starch
Do:
Whisk together the flours and salt. Using a pastry cutter, cut in the 1/2 cup Earth Balance to create a crumbly texture. Add the tablespoons of ice water two at a time, mixing lightly in between.
As your dough forms, combine well and form into a ball. Wrap that ball in plastic wrap or put it in a sealed container and refrigerate for at least 1/2 hour, but an hour is better.
While your dough is chillin', put your strawberries in a bowl and add the lemon juice, sugar and corn starch. Mix well to combine and make sure everything is evenly distributed.
Prepare your pie dish by spraying lightly with cooking oil or coating with a little Earth Balance.
When your dough is done, preheat the oven to 375 then take your dough from the refrigerator, cut it in half and set one half aside.
With your first half, use a rolling pin and pastry cloth, if you have one, and roll dough into a lovely circle about 1/4 inch thick. (this will be your bottom crust)
Place the rolled out dough into the pie dish, pressing it into the corners and pinching the edges so it's even all the way around. Note: you may need to cut the dough away in some areas if there is an abundance.
Cover the pie crust with a little tin foil and bake in the oven for 5 to 8 minutes then remove.
While pie crust is cooking, roll out the other half of the dough just as you did the first (this will be your top crust or, your lid).
When bottom crust is done, remove from the oven and spoon in your filling. Top pie filling with the rolled out top crust. Pinch crusts together as best you can, making sure it is even all the way around.
Cut cute little slits or fancy designs in the top of the crust to provide a place for steam to escape :)
Put back in oven for about 20 to 25 minutes.
When done, remove and let cool. Note: this will help the filling to set as well.
Serve:
Well, growing up in our household, we were allowed to eat pie for breakfast... as long as it had a piece of cheese on top. It's a miracle I don't weigh a million pounds with that philosophy!
Otherwise, this pie is great sliced on a plate by itself or served up with some soy delicious ice cream.
It's sure to be a winner so enjoy!
Strawberry