Tuesday 23 July 2013

Strawberry Vanilla Crumble Pie (Gluten Free)


Strawberry Time! 
 
 A few days ago I went strawberry picking for the very first time.  The adults picked as much as we could while the kids played wagon races and ate as much as they picked.  The sun was out and there was ice-cream for everyone when we finished. If you have never gone berry picking before I highly recommend it.  What a great day.  And best of all we had loads of berries to eat.  So when I got home I created this little number.  I call it Strawberry Vanilla Crumble Pie.


With a name like Crumble Pie you can guess what the crust does.  You got it, crumble city.  But it just doesn’t matter because it tastes so dang good.  I had never made this crust before but it is the perfect flavour to balance out the vanilla filling and the fresh strawberries. I got the recipe from the fabulous book Paleo Comfort Foods.  It's gluten-free, made with almonds and pecans.  You really need the pecans for this. They make all the difference in the finished product. The filling is a sweet vanilla custard and the topping is simple, straight up, fresh strawberries. 
This combination can easily be re-imagined in a parfait glass with the crust sprinkled on top.  Or to be honest, you could just throw it all in a bowl and wolf it down that way.  It might not look pretty but it will still taste heavenly.
 
 


Strawberry Vanilla Crumble Pie
Ingredients
Crust/Topping
  • 1 ¼ - 1 ½ cups almond flour
  • ½ cup pecans, roughly chopped
  • Pinch sea salt
  • ¼ cup coconut oil, melted
  • 1 tsp vanilla
Filling
  • 3/4 cup cane sugar  
  • 2 1/2 TBSP organic cornstarch  
  • 1/4 tsp salt  
  • 2 cups milk, scalding hot  
  • 2   eggs well beaten  
  • 1  tsp vanilla  
Topping
  • 2-3 cups of organic strawberries sliced or just cut in two
 
Directions
Crust/Topping
  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. Combine the almond flour, pecans and salt in large bowl.
  3. In a small bowl combine the oil and vanilla.
  4. Add wet ingredient to the dry until completely combined.  Use your fingers to press ‘dough’ into a pie pan.
  5. Bake for 12-14 minutes or until golden brown.
  6. Set on a baking rack to cool completely.  If using for parfait you can break it apart once it is cooled.
Filling
  1. Mix the sugar, flour and salt together in a double boiler and gradually add the hot milk, stirring constantly.
  2. Cook until the mixture thickens.
  3. Pour a small amount over the eggs and mix thoroughly; add back into the first mixture and cook for two more minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and cool; add vanilla.
Assemble
For a Crumble Pie: Fill the crust with the vanilla custard, place the strawberries on top. Be amazed by the beauty of what you have just created.
For a Parfait:  Fill parfait glasses with 1/3 vanilla custard, 1/3 strawberries and top it all off with the crumbled pie crust.
 
 
 
Stay tuned for my adventures in pectin free jam making,
Strawberry Fruitsicles and Homemade Fudgesicles!
 
 
 
 
 
 

16 comments:

  1. Ooh, so pretty! I would definitely not say no to a slice of that right about now! Thanks for sharing your blog on my FB page-- nice to "meet" you here!

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    Replies
    1. Hi Ariana, thanks for the opportunity to share! It makes it easier for all of us when we help each other out!

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  2. I had to go to the hospital as a child as a result of being poisoned from eating unwashed strawberries from the field. They are one of the MOST heavily sprayed crops out there. And since they are not peeled, if I can't get them organic, I won't eat them at all anymore! Just FYI. Great looking dessert by the way :)

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  3. Thank you Anonymous! I forgot to list the strawberries as organic, I'm going to change that right now! I do try to do this whenever I use an ingredient that is on the Dirty Dozen list - the 12 fruits and vegetables that retain large amounts of chemical residue (even after washing!). And Strawberries are definitely on that list. To see the full list go to this link http://eatlikeyourgrandma.blogspot.ca/p/when-it-comes-to-buying-organic-produce.html. Thanks again!

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