My Life is a Picnic
A Canadian Celiac Blog
Pie
I know that you all know how much I love cupcakes and sprinkles, but did you know that my true love (other than my husband and immediate family... my true FOOD love) is PIE? My kids will tell you that their nicknames all end in "Pie". Cookie Pie, Muffin Pie, Banana Pie, Millie Pie... And my husband Sweetie Pie. That's because there is NOTHING in this world that is better than a good pie.
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And then I was thrown into a pie-less gluten free world. I made do, with lots of cupcakes and extra sprinkles, and triple and quadruple layer cakes filled with peanut butter buttercream... but still, there was a hole in my heart, where pie belonged.
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Now, there are a few bakeries in town here that make a decent pie. But at $15+ for a small 8 inch pie where we'd all fight for the 4th piece, it seemed a little steep. This week though, I was searching the internet and trying out new things and I came across this recipe that ROCKED MY WORLD! I found different versions of this recipe, but I was unable to locate the original. Apparently, Emeril Lagasse, one of my all time favourite Food Network chefs, was on a US network and gave away a gluten free pie crust recipe. Like I said, I can't find the original, just other people's "versions" of it as they call it. So, this is my "version" of the Emeril Lagasse Gluten Free Pie Crust. BAMMM!
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Dairy Free and Gluten Free, but this recipe does include egg. The egg allows the dough to be pliable and absolutely fantastic to work with. And it bakes up flaky and delicious!
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A few notes about working this crust. First of all, you can use either a food processor or a stand mixer. My first trial was in the food processor and it worked beautifully. Today, I doubled the batch, so I tried the stand mixer. If I had been able to find my bowl shields, it might have worked better, but I had flour flying all over the counter. So I used both appliances. I put the flour and dry ingredients in the food processor and pulsed in the shortening and "butter" until it was a crumb like texture, then I put it all back into the stand mixer to add the liquids, as it was way too much dough for my processor. If you're making a single batch, I think either appliance would work. You could even do it the old fashioned way with a pastry blender or a couple of knives, or your hands to blend in the fats.
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Rolling out gluten free pastry can be a sticky mess. Remember how we did the cinnamon rolls? We are going to do that again. On your counter, spread out a nice sheet of parchment paper. On top of the parchment, lay out plastic wrap so that it completely covers the parchment. Overlap two pieces to create extra width. Place your dough on top (no extra flour needed!) Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and roll out with a rolling pin. Once you have the dough rolled out to a size that's about an inch bigger than your pie plate, remove the top plastic, place your pie plate upside down on top of the dough, then carefully slip your hand in between the plastic and the parchment, supporting the dough as you flip the whole thing upright. Keeping the plastic wrap on, smooth out the dough into your pie plate. Remove the plastic wrap and voila- the perfect pie crust! For the top crust, follow the same procedure to roll out the dough. Remove the top plastic and cut your perforations in your crust (I used a tiny cookie cutter). Carefully lift the dough using the plastic wrap and your rolling pin to place on top of your filled pie. Remove the plastic wrap as you go along, placing that top crust perfectly on your pie.
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If you have any trouble let me know, and I'll see if I can get this on video to show you!
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Another great pie trick- place a cookie sheet under your pie. Or you might have to clean your oven. Like I do.
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Let there be PIE!
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Therese K.
You can see here, my counter top set up. Parchment paper, plastic wrap, dough, plastic wrap and my rolling pin.
Pie Pastry adapted from a recipe by Emeril Lagasse
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1 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup potato starch
3/4 cup tapioca starch
1 TBSP sugar (optional- leave out if making savoury pie or quiche)
1 tsp salt
1 HEAPING tsp xanthan gum
1/2 cup COLD shortening (Earth Balance shortening is gluten free, dairy free, trans fat free and balanced in omega 3&6)
1/4 cup COLD butter (Earth Balance buttery sticks for dairy free)
1 large egg
1 TBSP vinegar
1/4 cup (approx) ice water
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In food processor or stand mixer, add flours, sugar, salt, xanthan gum. Mix it well.
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Add in cubed shortening and butter and pulse or mix until mixture resembles fine crumbs. In a measuring cup, beat egg with vinegar and add to the flour mixture. Pulse or mix on low speed until dough starts to clump together. Add enough water to make the dough hold together without being crumbly, but without being wet and sticky.
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I was able to roll out the dough immediately without needing to refrigerate it. (some versions of this recipe called for refrigeration, but complained it was too hard to roll out and it needed to sit for a bit to soften). The dough could be refrigerated until you need it. Keep in mind that cold dough will be more apt to crack and break.
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You will have enough dough for two crusts. Either a top and bottom crust, or two bottom crusts. Note that when I doubled the recipe, I was able to make 3 double crust pies. I know, the math just doesn't add up... but it worked in my favour, so I'm okay with it. I mean, who doesn't want 3 pies?
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Bake the pies in a preheated oven. 10 minutes at 450F, then reduce the temperature to 375 and cook for another 40 minutes. If you are using an uncooked filling, like apples, you might have to shield your edges and bake it longer to ensure the apples and the bottom crust are baked.
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Any pie crust scraps? Roll them out, sprinkle with brown sugar and roll them up like pinwheels. Cut them in one inch pieces and bake on a pie plate next to your pie. We have a name for these in our family... translated from French, they are called Nun's Farts. I guess nuns would fart sweet flaky pastry rolls?? ha ha. I'll post a picture. Please, let me know if you have another name for them!
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Happy Baking!
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Therese K.
