Vegan - Strawberry and Rhubarb Crumb Pie

One single pastry crust
1 ½ cups plain flour
2 tablespoons sugar (steivia)
½ teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cold non hydrogenated shortening or cold coconut oil
4 tablespoons ice-water
4 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Method:
sift flour, salt and sugar. Cut in the shortening (using a fork, pastry cutter, fingers, food processor)
to form a crumbly dough

Stir together the ice water and vinegar and add gradually to the flour, mix together until the dough just comes together and forms a ball. Wrap in plastic or grease proof paper and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll dough between two pieces of grease proof paper. Roll the dough to make a circle about 12 inches in diameter. Occasionally rotate the dough as you roll, to help even distribution.
Transfer the dough to the pie plate, gently remove the top grease proof paper and slide your hand underneath the centre of the paper and quickly flip into the pie plate and remove the remaining paper. Press the dough down into the pie dish. Trim off any over hanging dough or crimp edges as desired.

Filling:
3 cups of rhubarb, sliced ½ inch / 2cm  thick
4 cups of strawberries, fresh or frozen
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons of Arrowroot (tapioca flour)
2 tablespoons of plain flour
1 tablespoons lemon juice
pinch of salt

Topping.
1 cup plain flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons stevia
pinch of salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup coconut oil

Method:
Pre-heat oven to 200 c
Combine all the filling ingredients in a large mixing bowl. In a separate bowl combine flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon for the topping, Fold in the coconut oil until mixture forms large crumbs.

Add the filling into the prepared pie shell and top with the crumb mix. Cover loosley with aluminium foil and poke a few holes into the foil, to allow steam to escape.

Bake for about 20 minutes on high heat. Lower the heat to 190 deg and remove the foil.
Bake for a further 30 – 35 minutes or until crumb topping has browned and filling is bubbling.
Place on a cooling rack and let cool for about 30 minutes before serving.

Serve!

Recipe from, Vegan Pie In The Sky by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and  Terry Hope Romero http://www.theppk.com/books/vegan-pie-in-the-sky/
http://www.theppk.com/

rhubarb, apple and raspberry studel

Rhubarb, apple and freshly picked first of the season raspberries.
recipe to follow.

Berry Tarts

11/2 cup plain flour
150g chilled butter
1 tblspn sugar
1 large egg
1/1 tblspn cold water

for the filling

1 cup of raspberries, or other berries with stems removed
3/4 heavy cream
2/3 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
2 large eggs
3 tblspns flour
vanilla essence or creme de cassis, or another exotic liqueur.

Make the crust: Use a grater to grate the butter into the flour. Tip: coat the butter with flour now and again to make grating easier.
Rub the flour and butter together until mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.Mix in the sugar, then add the egg and water, using a dough scrapper to mix ingredients together to form a ball.
Briefly knead the to ensure an even texture. Wrap in clingfilm and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Lightly butter and flour a 10 inch tart pan with a removable bottom. Lightly flour a cool surface to roll out the chilled dough slightly wider than the pan. Line the pan with the dough, pressing gently around the edge. Remove any excess dough that hangs over the edge. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to high, 400F or 200C. Place the berries  into the tart pan. Mix together in a bowl, cream, sugar, eggs, flour and essence until smooth. Pour over berries. Lightly sprinkle with a little extra sugar.

To make a rhubarb tart, rhubarb must be cooked first. Harvest a bunch of rhubarb, cut leaves t inches off from bellow the stem.  Wash and dry stems. Cut into 1 inch pieces and place into a baking dish. Liberally sprinkle with sugar and a little orange zest on top, lightly stir through the rhubarb.
Roast in a medium hot oven until just cooked. Rhubarb should still be a little firm.

Bake for 35 minutes or until cooked,

rhubarb muffins

The rhubarb is growing so well in the garden this time of year. It must be rhubarb muffin time!

What's in it?

2 cups plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 tspn cinnamon

1 large egg

1/2 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoon marmalade

3/4 cup milk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

2tspn vanilla

1 1/2 cup fresh diced rhubarb stems

How to do it!

Butter and flour a 9 hole muffin tray or 18 hole small muffin tray.

Combine all the dry ingredients except the brown sugar. Whisk together brown sugar, egg and jam, then whisk in butter, milk and vanilla. Stir in rhubarb.

Pour mixture over dry ingredients and mix to moisten. Do not over mix.

spoon mixture into muffin cups about 2/3 full.

Bake at 200 degrees C, until lightly browned. Insert a satay stick to see if cooked, it should come out clean.

20-25 minutes

makes about 18 muffins using a small tin or 9 using a larger tin.