Pear and Fig Coconut Cream Tart (gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, grain free)

With the end of summer comes a lot of figs at my parents' house... this means a lot of figs in my refrigerator!! I can usually eat a few, but have been playing around with different things to do with them.  I dehydrated a bunch and those turned out well, but I also had an overabundance of pears from our CSA boxes that I wanted to use.  I have to admit, I've never liked pears.

 

I love pretty much all fruit except maybe papaya and pears. I can of course eat them, but I just choose not to. When baked however, apparently they taste much better! So I decided to play around with a grain free, simple crust, and a simple and savory cream to put the fruit on top of.  It came out really well and I ate it for breakfast, morning snack, afternoon snack, .... you get the point :)
You can totally use more fruit than what I did- I was playing around with this recipe- using canned coconut milk gives a much more coconutty flavor than coconut milk drink (like So Delicious) and is thicker.
 

Pear and Fig Coconut Cream Tart
(gluten, soy, dairy, egg, and grain free) 

Crust
2 cups almond meal
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 Tbsp chia meal in 2 Tbsp hot water
1/8 tsp celtic sea salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon

Cream
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 can full fat coconut milk
1/4 cup arrowroot flour

2 small ripe pears (approximately 9 oz before cutting), sliced
4-5 ripe figs, sliced

Prepare your crust:
Mix your chia and water and set aside to gel. Mix all of the ingredients together with a fork or whisk and press into a 9.5" tart pan(mine has a removable center).

Cream:
Over medium heat, warm your coconut milk, honey, and vanilla.  Once it is about to boil, whisk in your arrowroot.  Remove from heat and pour into tart shell.

Gently place your fruit onto the coconut cream and bake in the oven at 350^ for approximately 25 minutes or until the fruit looks soft and the crust firm.

Before Baking

Removed from Pan

Cool on counter and then place in the refrigerator to firm up.  Remove from pan, slice and serve.

Enjoy!

Note: I had a little cream and fruit left over, so I took two of my Nutty Cacao Energy Balls and pressed them into a crust, added the cream and fruit and baked it alongside the big tart for a personal snack :)

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Sweet Potato Pie (Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Naturally Sweetened)

well i have finally decided on my 'go ahead honey' submission for this month... it was a tough call, but i've decided it's actually going to be the first of a three part series of 'my childhood+home.'

so growing up in my household was an adventure, and food was and is a huge focus. and good food. for my last submission i posted a recipe for the slow cooked food challenge that was persian- from my mother's homeland of iran. this month i wanted to pay homage to my other half- my african-american side. the story goes something like this... when i was fairly young, i'm guessing around 8/10 years old, my grandmother took me on a grocery shopping adventure because she wanted to teach me how to make some of her dishes. she was known for her pies, rolls, corn pudding, fruit cake, caramel cake, and more - all from scratch. the idea of using a boxed mix was unheard of and something that i carried on. her north carolina roots taught her real southern baking without measuring, but rather an eye that she wanted me to learn by watching and doing alongside her. and learn i did- she wouldn't have it any other way. she was an incredibly strong and beautiful woman, mother to nine wonderful and unique children, and i remember her each thanksgiving when i make her sweet potato pie.

i felt the real challenge of making this pie would be recreating it in a way that was 'healthier' and suitable to my diet (no refined sugar, crisco in the crust, gluten, or dairy) while still capturing the rich and tasty elements of it. i warned my dad about these changes at thanksgiving, and he acknowledged that it might not taste as good. then after he took his first bite he smiled and told me that the taste was not sacrificed and it was still 'good.' :)


so anyways, the recipe is really not that complicated, and the taste can be as strong or simple as you like it, depending on the spices and sweetness of your sweet potatoes. to me, it's more of the memories that come with it and remembering how proud it made my grandmother that i learned her recipes, and how proud i felt to stand by her side.

Annie Mae's Sweet Potato Pie - Adapted

*note- this was my first time trying to measure the recipe, so it actually turned out as two and a half regular pies, or it could be two deep dish ones.

5 1/2 cups cooked sweet potatoes
2 eggs, beaten
5 Tbsp melted butter
3/4 cup honey, maple syrup, or agave nectar
3/4 cup coconut, almond, or hemp milk
1 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp mace
1.5 tsp saigon cinnamon
2 tsp vanilla
6 Tbsp orange juice
1-2 Tbsp lemon juice
optional: 1/4 cup sucanat or coconut sugar (if you want it sweeter)

Preheat oven to 375. Prepare your pie crusts. I used my crust recipe from my Apple Pie but used a stick of butter chopped up instead of the oil.

While still hot, peel and mash your sweet potatoes. Add the rest of your ingredients and mix with a stand mixer. Taste and adjust spices if you wish. If you're opposed to tasting raw egg, you can add everything except that, taste it, and then add the beaten eggs in. The flavor of your sweet potatoes will change the flavor of the pie, so i recommend organic sweet potatoes with a strong, bold, and sweet flavor.

Pour pie filling evenly into crusts and bake in oven for approximately 45 minutes-1 hour, depending on oven, etc.

Eat warm as dessert, cold for breakfast, with coconut milk ice-cream as a snack... ;)

PS--- Don't forget to get your submissions into me by December 5th!!!

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Gluten Free Apple Pie and Apple Topped Steel Cut Oats

i actually came up with this recipe before i decided on the theme for this month's Go Ahead Honey, and felt conflicted... because i think apple pie really represents the american "home" and "childhood" aspect... however, it wasn't really my home, so i'm not going to have this as my submission :) i'm still trying to come up with something though.

anyways, we received a huge bag of apples from my in-laws who went to west virginia, so i was making apple everything for a while-- some recipes better than others (such as my undercooked apple cake which you shall not see here.) one of my favorite quick and easy apple recipes was a topping for my steel cut oats in the morning. i just put sliced apples with some cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, and a dash of agave in a pan and simmered for a few minutes. i added some pecans sometimes as well. anyways, after cooking my oats i just topped it with the apple mix and it was fantastic.

moving on to better recipes, here is my apple pie one... i tried improving my crust from my Strawberry Rhubarb Pie by taking out the butter and subbing it with grapeseed oil instead. i leave that option open-- one stick of butter will work, grapeseed oil, or organic spectrum shortening. coconut oil will work as well, and i think would go well with apple (i used it in my blueberry pie) but you have to be open to a bit of a coconut flavor. if you do want to do the coconut but not have it overwhelm, i would recommend half coc. oil with half of something else (butter, oil, etc.). anyways, mine came out a bit oily to work with but perfect baked at 3/4 a cup, so i'm going to recommend 1/2-3/4 a cup and you can check your consistency because different gluten free flours work in different ways, and you can always add more sweet rice flour to firm it up. now on to the pie.




Apple Pie

(gluten free, dairy free, soy free, refined sugar free)


Crust:

1 cup sorghum flour
1/2 cup millet flour
1/2 cup white rice flour
5 Tbsp sweet rice flour (approximately 1/4 cup)
1.5 tsp xanthan or guar gum
1/2 tsp Celtic Sea Salt
1 tsp Saigon cinnamon
3 tsp honey/maple/agave
1 egg
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup cold water
1/2-3/4 cup grapeseed oil (or other mild oil, refrigerated works well)

-mix the flours together with a stand mixer. slowly add the oil in with the mixer running and mix until it is crumbled into pea-sized pieces.

-drop the egg and vinegar into the mixture while the mixer is running. once combined, drizzle the cold water into the mix a little at a time while the mixer is running. once it looks like dough, turn off the mixer.

-separate the dough into two balls and put each on a piece of parchment paper. place another piece on top of each ball and gently smoosh them down into disks. wrap the paper around them and refrigerate over night. remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before using. if you can't refrigerate over night, a couple of hours will do as well.

Apple Pie Filling:

4 cups chopped or sliced apples (approximately-- i used sliced ones i made with an apple peeler/corer/slicer (Apple Peeler)
1 tsp saigon cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 tsp vanilla or one vanilla bean
3/4 cup honey, maple syrup or agave
1/4 cup starch (tapioca, arrowroot, or corn)

-preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. mix all of the ingredients in a bowl except for the starch. remove some of the liquid from the apple mixture and add it to the starch to 'melt' it down. mix the starch liquid into the apples and let it all sit while you prepare your crusts.

-roll out one pie crust and fit in dish. if it falls apart, simply press together again-- gluten free crust is good like that. pour the apple filling mix in and spread evenly.

-the second crust is trickier if it falls apart. i like to slide it off of the parchment paper by peeling away the paper as you slide it on (sounds confusing, but it's not that bad). if it does fall apart, you can still try to reattach it. if not, there needs to be steam holes/slits, so just let the cracks be the holes in the crust. if it did survive, make a pretty hole in the top or slits in the middle. ** if you want a shiny crust, you can brush the crust with egg white here. i left this one alone but have done it in the past.

(pie before cooking - without steam holes)

-bake the pie in the oven for 20 minutes at 400F, then lower to 350 for another 30 minutes or until golden and bubbly. i know it's difficult, but let it cool for a while-- it helps the liquid inside solidify and is worth the wait :)

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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie - Gluten Free, Soy Free, Dairy Free

my father asked me to make him a strawberry rhubarb pie last winter, and i never "got around to it" because rhubarb was not in season. so for father's day, i finally fulfilled that and surprised him with the pie.

i had picked up some very ripe strawberries from the farmer's market the day before and ordered some extra rhubarb from the organic delivery so it all worked out well. if i was making this for just us or for less of an 'occasion' i would have used a few different ingredients, but oh well... the rest of the fam already had to deal with the gluten free-ness ;)

anyways, the crust turned out very well... i based it off of gluten-free girl's recipe from her book with a few changes.


Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Crust:

1 cup Sorghum flour
1/2 White Rice flour
3 Tbsp Sweet Rice flour
1 tsp Xantham Gum
1/2 scant tsp salt
1 tsp Saigon Cinnamon
3 tsp organic sugar
8 Tbsp cold butter (1 stick)
1 large egg
2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup ice-cold water

-mix the flours together with a stand mixer. cut the butter into little pieces and drop them into the dry ingredients. turn the mixer on again and mix until the butter has crumbled into pea-sized pieces.

-drop the egg and vinegar into the mixture while the mixer is running. once combined, drizzle the cold water into the mix a little at a time while the mixer is running. once it looks like dough, turn off the mixer.

-separate the dough into two balls and put each on a piece of parchment paper. place another piece on top of each ball and gently smoosh them down into disks. wrap the paper around them and refrigerate over night. remove from the refrigerator 20 minutes before using.

pie:

mix in a bowl:
3 cups chopped rhubarb
3 cups halved strawberries
1/2 cup raw sugar or golden brown sugar
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt


-preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. roll out one pie crust and fit in dish. fill it with the berry mix. i actually used 3.5 cups each of strawberries and rhubarb, but it overflowed a bit with all of the juices, so i've lessened it here.

-place the second rolled out crust over it and make a hole in the top.

-bake the pie in the oven for 20 minutes at 400F, then lower to 350 for another 40 minutes. i know it's difficult, but let it cool for a while-- it helps the liquid inside solidify and is worth the wait :)

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Gluten Free Blueberry Pie (gf, dairy free, soy free)

i decided to experiment with a favorite of ours... blueberry pie. i love The New Best Recipe cookbook and have made their pie before, so i just decided to try it with another crust and to use agave instead of sugar...

so for a crust i used bette hagman's vinegar pie crust recipe and decided to experiment with coconut oil instead of butter. i'm still on the fence in terms of the results, but i'll post it anyways. my coconut oil goes between solid and liquid state often, so i decided to put it into the fridge to become the consistency of softened butter or shortening, so at least that went well. the finished result had a slight coconut flavor that was a little surprising, but i think i would still use it again... just less. or maybe a combo with another oil or something. i'm just not into the processed oils so i'm kind of out of luck... willing to take suggestions if anyone else has found something that worked! all in all though, it was a great crust, nice and flaky with a good consistency.

*update: You can also use my Apple Pie Crust which I love!




Blueberry Pie

Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Soy Free, Sugar Free

Pie Crust:

1 cup white rice flour
¾ cup tapioca flour
¾ cup cornstarch
1 rounded tsp. xanthan gum
¾ tsp. salt
1 tbsp agave nectar or honey
¾ cup Organic Coconut Oil or Spectrum Naturals Organic All Vegetable Shortening
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp. vinegar
3 Tbsp. ice water

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flours, cornstarch, xanthan gum, salt, and sugar. Blend in the coconut oil.

Blend together the beaten egg, vinegar, and cold water. Stir into the flour mixture until the pastry holds together and forms a ball. I found it needed a good amount of kneading in order to make it a good consistency for rolling.

Form two balls and place in a bowl; cover and refrigerate for ten minutes or so until cool if it has gotten too sticky. If you refrigerate it too long it becomes really hard.

Remove and roll one ball at a time between two sheets of plastic wrap that have been dusted with sweet rice flour.

To place in pie tin: Remove top sheet, and using the other for ease of handling, invert the dough and gently place it in the pan. Shape into curves before removing the second piece of plastic wrap.


Blueberry Pie Filling:
6 cups fresh blueberries (i used mostly fresh, but added some frozen as well)
3/4 cup Coconut Palm Sugar, honey, or maple syrup
2 tsp juice and 1 tsp grated zest from lemon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp nutmeg
4 tbsp tapioca or arrowroot starch
1 egg white, lightly beaten (for top of crust)

1. Preheat oven to 500 degrees
2. Toss the berries, agave, lemon juice, zest, spices, and potato starch and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. Spoon berries into pie shell (first dough is already in there)
4. Place second dough over filling and trip edges. Tuck rim of dough underneath itself so that the edge is flush with the pan. Press with tines of a fork or flute the edge
5. Cut four slits in the dough tops
6. Brush top of crust with egg white
7. Lower temperature of the oven to 425 degrees
8. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes
9. Rotate the pie and reduce temperature to 375 degrees
10. Continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, around 30-35 minutes longer.
11. Transfer to wire rack and let cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours.




This is being entered into the Friday Foodie Fix at The Whole Gang
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