Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Gluten Free Wednesday: Lemon Blueberry Pie

Happy Gluten Free Wednesday!

I love pie.  I love lemon. I love blueberries.  What an amazing thing a Lemon Blueberry Pie is then, huh?  This was one of  my creations for Lifethyme when I was the Head Baker there.  At the time we were needing a new pie idea to help fill a space left in the shelf from where the seasonal pies had sat.  It wasn't quite Spring and certainly not summer, but I wanted something fresh, something that when people tasted it, they could  taste Spring.  I searched online for a vegan lemon pie, and not finding exactly what I wanted, I combined 2-3 different recipes, with my own changes and additions, including the blueberries.   As the first time I made this pie, I was very happy with the end result, even though as it was baking it had a little explosion in the oven - I guess the combination of ingredients makes it slightly unstable once it has been baking for a long time.  However,as long as you do not over bake this pie and chill it sufficiently, you will have the seriously most tasty amazing pie out there.

Now that it is summer and I have forgotten about pie and all kinds of other baked goods (who wants to eat pie and cookies and muffins when it's 100 degrees outside?!).  But when I remembered this pie, I had fond thoughts of it and remembered it being a nice, cooling, refreshing kind of pie.  So I thought, why not make it again?  And oh god was it good!  Hubbs had several pieces and I admittedly had a giant piece!  Yum.  Make this and tell me how crazily good it is!  And tell me how refreshed you are after having eaten it!

Lemon Blueberry Pie:


Pie, Aerial View

 Yield: 8 Slices

1 Prepared GF Pie Crust, (make it if yourself you're feeling adventurous!)

1 pkg Mori Nu Silken Tofu
8 oz. Tofutti Vegan Cream Cheese
1/2 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons arrowroot powder
1 tablespoon lemon extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup turbinado sugar
1 lemon, zested
1 pinch turmeric
3/4 cup fresh blueberries, sorted through

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Place the prepared pie shell on a baking tray and set aside until ready to use.
2.  Get out your food processor and to the bowl add the following: silken tofu, tofutti cream cheese, lemon juice, arrowroot powder, lemon and vanilla extracts, turbinado sugar, lemon zest and a pinch of turmeric.  Do not add the blueberries.  Process this mixture until completely silky and smooth.
3.  Pour the pureed mixture into a bowl and add the blueberries.  Stir until well combined.  Pour this mixture into your pie crust, smoothing out the top with a spatula. 
4.  Put in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the top is lightly yellow and the center is firm, but still jiggles slightly.  Keep an eye on the pie after the 30 minute mark, because if it is baked for too long, it will overflow and spill all over the place.
5.  Set the pie aside to cool for several hours at room temperature.
6.  Once the pie is completely cool to the touch, place it in the refrigerator.  It is best to refrigerate overnight, or at the very least, several hours, until completely chilled throughout. 
7.  Serve on a nice warm day, where the cooling lemony blueberriness will really refresh you!

Enjoy!

-K

Side View, All Those Delicious Fresh Blueberries!


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