I don’t normally post twice in a day but it is National Pi Day so hopefully it’s excused.
I’ve never cooked a pie from scratch before, let alone a gluten free, vegan one. My girlfriend though just finished reading “Making Piece” by Beth Howard. The book is about a woman who suddenly loses her husband. In an effort to get over the pain she moves and starts a pie shop in the Midwest. The headquarters of said pie shop is none other than the American Gothic house. I’m currently reading the book so my opinion is still developing but suffice it to say, it will make you crave pie. (I’ll do a separate post with a review in the coming days).
For making the strawberry filling we consulted Joy the Baker and for the flour mix (brown rice, white rice and arrowroot), Gluten Free Canteen.
Filling the shell
1st Attempt: For the first attempt, we made a mini pie using the aluminum tray from a pot pie. We cooked the strawberries for around 10 minutes to create a sauce. I was surprised at how quick those things melt down. The dough was kneaded out on wax paper. We even created a top crust though that it made it difficult tell how far along it was. The crust held together well when sliced into, though I did slice right through the pan. The flavor was good but a little too tart because I was stingy on sugar and over did lemon juice.
2nd Attempt
2nd Attempt: For the second, and more successful attempt we used a 9 inch pie pan (since I managed to slice through the first pan). This second dough had been in the fridge overnight. It kneaded out easily. We simply rolled it out and when necessary repaired any breaks. Since this pie was wider and we didn’t have dough to cover it, we cooked the filling for only around 2 minutes and transferred it into the shell. As suggested on Joy the Baker, we baked it 425 for 10 minutes followed by 30 minutes at 350.
Attempt #2 turned out great. The strawberries were moist and sweet. The pie while not pretty, sliced easily while retaining it’s form. It even browned along the edges. It’s great to know that baked goods that once seemed impossible just require some trial and error and the occasional……humble pie. For the next go around I think we will shoot for blueberry.
Final Product
Topless Pie!
roodonfood 
