pi(e)
yesterday was both my friend's birthday (happy birthday lil) and pi day. hoorah!
it was inevitable that i made a pie (with my friend julia). a vegan blueberry pie.
the one thing about pi day is that you can celebrate by joining math and baking together. (not like they're related or anything...)
although pie is one of my favorite winter/spring desserts, i've never actually made one without the assistance of an older individual... most likely because a) pies seem so difficult because of the butter-freezing and the dough-freezing and the crust-forming and rolling. b) the cooked-crust-consistency that varies from the bottom of the pie to the top. c) there's social stigma about pies.
but today was the perfect excuse to do all of these things. making a pie for pi day is also a perfect reminder that i actually have time to do stuff now because i'm on spring break. FINALLY.
so i present to you a simple, vegan, blueberry pie because blueberries are really great.
the crust
2.5 cups white-whole wheat flour
1 cup vegan butter, cut into small cubes + frozen
7-8 tablespoons ice water
pinch of salt
the filling
2 pints of fresh blueberries
3/4 cup turbinado sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 lemon
zest of the lemon
3 tablespoons corn starch
the topping
turbinado sugar
coconut / canola oil
01/ preheat oven to 420-425˚F
02/ in the freezer, chill large mixing bowl and pastry cutter
03/ sift flour and salt and mix together. using the pastry cutter, combine butter and flour mixture until thoroughly combined.
04/ once combined, slowly incorporate ice water (tablespoon by tablespoon) until dough begins to form. (do not overwork or else the dough will not be flakey when baked.)
05/ with water-coated hands, split the dough into two even pieces. roll into a ball and flatten out into a disc. cover with plastic wrap and place in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
06/ in the meantime, combine all of the ingredients for the filling. taste test if necessary, (always). refrigerate until the dough is ready to be rolled out.
07/ when chilled, take out one disc of dough. flour the surface and rolling pin. from the middle towards the edges, roll out the disc until it's about 1/4" thick. (*note: the dough will most definitely fall apart. just keep smushing it back together until there are no holes.)
08/ spray your pie pan with canola oil. roll the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer it to the pan. roll out into the pan and begin to push dough into the creases and edges of the tin. pour filling into the tin and place in freezer.
09/ repeat step [07] with the second disc.
10/ use a pizza cutter or knife to cut dough into 8 strips, each about 1" long. 11/when done, take out your unfinished pie. create a design of your own or make a lattice crust on top.
11/ freeze one last time for about 10 minutes. take out. brush with oil and sprinkle turbinado sugar on top. cover edges with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning.
12/ bake for 45 minutes, taking off the foil after 20 minutes. let cool before cutting and eating. it will be very hot.
