Saturday, July 7, 2012

Homemade Apple Pie with Crumb Top

There's nothing like homemade apple pie, especially on the 4th of July. This recipe is from my mother-in law's kitchen and has been in her family for years.  I simply vegan-ized it and made a few adjustments to suit my tastes.  Enjoy all year round!




CRUST:
1 1/2 c. sifted all purpose flour
1/2 t. salt
1/2 c. vegan butter (smart balance)
3 T. cold water



FILLING:
5-7 granny smith apples
1/2 c. vegan sugar
3/4 t. cinnamon
1 T. flour
1 t. lemon juice


CRUMB TOPPING:
1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/4 c. sugar
2 T. vegan butter
2-3 T. fresh lemon juice



CREAM TOPPING:
1c. raw cashews
1/4 c. water
1/4 brown rice syrup (or agave, or both)
1 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract (optional but yummy)
1/4 c. safflower or sunflower oil (or veg. oil is fine too)








Preheat oven to 400 degrees.


Crust:
Combine flour and salt in a small bowl.  Add butter and blend with a fork, then mix with fingers until it resembles coarse crumbles.  Add water 1 T. at a time, gently mixing dough until it forms a ball.  Place on a lightly floured surface.  Using a rolling pin, roll dough into a 10-11 inch circle. Place in a 9 inch pie plate.



Filling:
Peel and slice apples very thinly.  Place in a large bowl and add sugar, cinnamon, flour and lemon juice.  Mix well and add into prepared pie crust.


Crumb Topping:
Make crumb topping by combining all ingredients together.  It should make a paste.  Take about a t. at a time and flatten in fingertips, then place across apples.  Keep doing this in a random pattern until evenly covered.  Apples will show through connected parts. 


Bake for 50 minutes.  If crust browns too quickly, cover with foil.


Cream Topping:
Place cashews in a blender or food processor fitted with an S blade and process until finely ground.  Add water, agave, vanilla, almond extract and process for one minute. Scrape down sides with a rubber spatula.  While the machine is running on low, slowly drizzle oil and process for 2 minutes or until mixture is very thick and resembles whipped cream.


Serve warm with your favorite vegan ice-cream.  Enjoy!


Non-vegan recipe credit: Anita Federman

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