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
