Vegan Baking Basics: Pies and Tarts

I taught another of the vegan baking classes in Queens, and in this one, we focussed on pies and tarts (though mostly pies).  It's amazing to realize how many pies 2-3 people can bake in a couple hours.  It's also amazing how after inhaling the sugar and not eating anything while baking, that you can still get a sugar high!  When it was time to taste test all the pies, I literally only took one small nibble from each pie, and even then it was a lot.  That's not to say that the pies were too sweet or anything, just that when you are baking over and over again, the sugar is a little intense!  We made 6 pies and enjoyed all of them.

The next time I saw the ladies, two days later, they told me that almost all of the pies were eaten.  6 pies in two days!  Wow!  But, then they told me they took them to work, gave some to neighbors, etc. and everyone loved them.  They also have several vegan friends that are used to not being able to eat a lot of things when people bring them in, but were very happy to learn they could eat every one of the pies.  If they want to hang out for the rest of the duration of the classes, they will be eating a lot more vegan sweet things!  My favorite, and the simplest of the recipes by far was the Banana Creme Pie, which is funny because I am forever saying that the only thing I like that is banana flavored is the banana itself.  But this was amazing, and when I went home, I was daydreaming about it.  I will really have to make it, and sooner rather than later!  Yum!

Here is a list of all the pies we made:

Banana Creme Pie:

Graham Cracker Crust, Banana Pudding and Fresh Bananas on Top

 Apple Crumb Pie:


Whole Spelt Crust, Apples Tossed in Cinnamon & Nutmeg and
Topped with a Buttery Crumb Topping 

 Keylime Pie (looked ugly, so we didn't photograph it)

Lemon Meringe Pie: (the meringue part was disgusting, so we left it off)



Graham Cracker Crust, Creamy Tart Lemon Filling

 Coconut Custard:


Whole Spelt & Oat Crust, Creamy Coconutty Filling with
Shredded Coconut on Top



Pecan Pie:

Whole Spelt Crust with Maple Filling & Caramelizing of Sugars on Side





The Spread: (Clockwise from Banana on top) Banana Creme,
Lemon Meringe, Coconut Custard, Apple Crumb, Pecan Pie

Banana Creme Pie:

Yields 1-9" Pie

Crust:

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 tablespoons agave
2 tablespoons nondairy milk

2 tablespoons canola oil

Filling:

8 oz. Tofutti Cream Cheese
1 package (4-serving size) dry mix natural vanilla or banana instant pudding
2 cups sliced bananas (about 2 medium)
2 cups non-dairy milk

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2.  Oil a 9”pie pan. In a medium bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, agave, nondairy milk, and oil. Press in bottom and side of pie plate. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden brown; cool.
3.  In a medium bowl, add the cream cheese, and using a hand mixer, mix in the nondairy milk until smooth.  Add the dry pudding mix and beat for about 1 minute or until thickened. Refrigerate for a few minutes.

4.  Spread half the pudding mixture in baked crust. Top with 1 cup of the bananas. Spread remaining pudding mixture over bananas. Cover and refrigerate about 1 hour or until chilled. Top with remaining bananas just before serving.

So Simple and So Delicious!

Enjoy!

-K