Saturday, November 05, 2011

blast from the past ::
punka pie and apple pie recipes

This post first ran on November 29, 2006 on my original blog – time flies when you're having fun. With Thanksgiving just around the corner, I thought it was a good time to repost my pumpkin and apple pie recipes [They also appear in The Urban Vegan]. Speaking of pies, please check out Terry Hope Romero's and Isa Chandra Moskowitz' adorable new book – and part 3 of their holy trinity of baking – Vegan Pie in the Sky.

PUNKA PIE AND APPLE PIE, TOO


PUNKA PIE

First, preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Flaky Pie Crust:
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 cup unbleached white flour
scant 1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
1/4 cup Earth Balance

2-4 T ice water

Mix dry ingredients. Cut in shortening and butter. If you want a flaky crust, be careful not to overmix. Add enough water to make dough stick together when you squeeze it, then let the dough chill in the 'fridge for 30 minutes. Roll into one disk on a lightly floured surface.

Filling:
1 can unsweetened pumpkin
2 boxes firm Mori Nu tofu (DON'T use refrigerated tofu!)
3/4 cup sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp ginger
1/4 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 T egg replacer or soy flour, plus 4 T water


Mix everything in a food processor until smooth.

Roll out dough and place into greased pie pan. Flute edges as desired. Pour in the batter, leaving 1/4 inch of headspace between filling and crust edge. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then lower heat to 350 and bake for 35 minutes. Refrigerate pie for several hours before slicing.

If you happen to have leftover pie filling, bake it in a greased dish for 30 minutes at 350, and voila--punka pudding.



URBAN APPLE PIE:

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Crust
Double the crust recipe, above. Divide dough and roll into two disks.

Filling
5 large organic Granny Smith apples, peeled and chopped
2 T flour
1 cup sugar
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1 T vanilla
2/3 cup soy half and half [or vanilla soy milk]
Demerara sugar, to sprinkle on top [optional[


Combine ingredients and spoon into prepared crust. Top with the second crust and crimp edges as desired. Sprinkle with sugar. Put the pie on a cookie sheet [to avoid nasty cleanup later] and bake for 15 minutes. Turn down heat to 350 and bake for 45 more minutes until the top is golden. [If crust seems to brown too quickly, cover the pie with aluminum foil]. Allow to cool completely before slicing.

7 comments:

MeloMeals said...

yum !... I just love apple pie.. and vegan pumpkin pie. I never used to like pumpkin pie because it tasted too eggy .. in fact, I never really liked desserts much until I became vegan.

Kier said...

You know, I have been hesitant to make desserts using tofu, but I think I might just have to take the plunge and give it a try sometime soon. Especially if I get the Vegan Pie in the Sky book - that seriously looks amazing.

urban vegan said...

Kier: Try to approach tofu from a beginner's mind. It's bland--like flour--so it takes on the flavor of whatever you pair it with. Everyone loves this pumpkin pie and NO ONE would ever guess there's tofu in it. Let me know how you make out.

Get Skinny, Go Vegan. said...

So happy it's pumpkin pie!! This sounds so interesting. Sure that the apples must sweeten it up too.

urban vegan said...

GSGV, They are two separate pies, two separate recipes: no apples in my punka pie!

Hannah said...

Classic pies like these never go out of style- They still look delicious!

Jean Grace said...

Hi. Is the can of pumpkin a big can (Libby-style) or small (Whole Foods and Trader Joe's style)?