This is my first Paleo Pie. I know, hard to believe. Actually, with exception of raw pies, I don't think I have ever baked a pie. But since the passing of my Mama, the "Pie" has come into my life. When I made the Blog Post about her passing (see it here) people have sent me all forms of pie. Now, recently, I met a few people whose Mom's also passed. I vowed to send them a pie, and thus my practice has begun. I am also playing around with a Paleo diet, which I will discuss on another post, so I decided my first pie should be Paleo. I did some research on the Internet and combined some of my own techniques and made the most delicious pie Evvvveeeeerrrr! My neighbors even said so!
There are 3 recipes below: The crust, the filling and the topping. Go for it and put your own spin on it just for fun!
Crust Ingredients
2 cups almond flour
½ cup coconut oil, (soft or melted)
2 tablespoons coconut milk (cold)
2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup
Mix all ingredients for the crust just until combined. A rubber spatula works well. Do not over blend. Press the dough into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate. Create fancy edges with your fingers if desired. Cover pie, and freeze until ready to bake.
Note:
Using thick cream at the top of cooled coconut milk (along with some of the milk) works well to make this crust creamy and rich.
Tips: When working with coconut oil the temperatures really influence the consistency. When it is warm it will get soft and almost watery. Yet, when it is cold it can get rock hard. Take this into consideration when working with coconut oil, knowing it will change. I often cool my cookie dough or other desserts I am making with coconut oil before I mold them or proceed.
Apple Filling
4 to 5 medium apples, peeled, cored, sliced to ¼-inch thickness
½ cup chopped mint leaves
½ cup cranberry (cooked until soft in ½ cup of water – drain off excess water)
1 tablespoon lime juice
2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ cup coconut palm sugar
2 tablespoons water
½ cup coconut milk
Instructions
In a large bowl mix together the apples, mint and cranberries with the lime juice, coconut oil, and cinnamon. Combine the coconut palm sugar and water in a small saucepan and heat mixture over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Mix in the coconut milk, and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat, and pour sauce over the apple mixture. Toss ingredients until they are fully coated with the sauce. Set aside.
Streusel topping
1 cup blanched almond flour
2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
2 tablespoons Kuzu Root Starch or Arrowroot powder
3 tablespoons organic coconut palm sugar
2 coconut oil
3 teaspoons coconut milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract handful walnuts or pecans
Instructions
Mix all the ingredients together using your hands until mixture become crumbly.
Preheat over to 400 F
Spoon apple mint mixture into the cooled crust. Distribute the Streusel topping over the apples. Bake at 400F for about 10 minutes or until crust is browned. Then reduce temperature to 325 F. Cover pie with parchment paper or aluminum foil and bake for 40 more minutes.