Award Winning Hazelnut Apple Cider Pie

My winning pie.  We had to use aluminum pie plates for the contest, but usually I prefer to use a ceramic or glass pie plate.  I think the metal makes the crust taste a little strange.

And so the Vegan MoFo begins.  I'm determined to get back into updating this blog regularly, so this is just what I needed.  Well, I probably need a literal kick in the pants, but Vegan MoFo will have to do.  And now I'm going to have to watch my back as my friends come up behind and randomly kick me for the next few days reminding me that I asked for it...  I digress.  Back to vegan yumminess.

The Vancouver Farmers Market is awesome.  I mean, really, how could it not be, really?  Besides having quite a few markets around town in spring, summer and fall, there is also a winter market.  The winter market runs every single weekend this year, too!  Yay! (It's going to be Saturdays at Nat Bailey Stadium for any Vancouverites out there wondering how to get in on this.)  Not only can you get awesome produce, but the markets routinely have events.  There was an heirloom tomato festival and an apple festival at the markets this year for example.  The apple festival also had an apple pie contest which I decided to enter.  My pie was one of 8 pies in the contest and also the only vegan pie.  My vegan pie won the contest.  :)  

The lineup of pies in the contest.

The Hazelnut Apple Cider Pie that I entered is 100% my own recipe, crust and all.  I'm quite proud of it, actually.  I based it loosely on a Cherry Almond Pie that I made a couple of summers ago. I made an effort to use as many local ingredients as I could.  The apples and hazelnuts came from the farmers market and the cider is also a local brand.  If you don't have any hard cider or if you want a slightly different flavor, you can substitute the same amount of white wine and it'll turn out just fine.  The flavor will be a bit different though.  I did a taste test of fillings with some of my coworkers, one with cider and one with wine.  You'll want to add a bit more sugar if you're using wine unless you're using a sweet wine like a Riesling.  Alternatively, if you're serving this to kids, you can use just plain old apple cider, but make sure it's one that's made with only apple juice.  You don't want juice with added sugar or weird ingredients.

It's also important to us a really firm, crisp apple.  If you're not using the pink lady apples like I did, then I would suggest using granny smith.  If your apples are too soft, you'll end up with mush for the filling.

I won a Farmers Market canvas bag, 5 pounds of local apples and $50 in Farmers Market cash.  :)

Hazelnut Apple Cider Pie

Crust:
2 ¼ cups flour
¼ cup ground hazelnuts
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking powder
1 cup cold, non-hydrogenated shortening (like Earth Balance)
1 Tablespoon non-dairy milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
cold water to make ½ cup liquid

Filling:
¾ cup sugar
1 cup hard, dry cider (like Strongbow)
4 Tablespoon non-hydrogenated margarine
½ teaspoon vanilla extract or half of a vanilla bean
6 large pink lady apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Topping:
2 Tablespoons non-dairy milk
2 Tablespoons sugar
¼ cup finely chopped hazelnuts

9” pie plate


To make the crust, sift together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Cut the shortening into smallish pieces and cut into the flour mixture until it resembles course crumbs about the size of peas. Stir together the wet ingredients and add a few tablespoons at a time, mixing with a fork until all of the liquid has been incorporated. Give the dough a quick knead or three, you just want to make sure all the flour has been mixed in, you don't want to actually knead it much.

Divide the dough in half and flatten into discs. Cover them with plastic wrap or a damp paper towel and place them in the fridge for 45 minutes to an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400° F.

Once the dough is cold, take one of the discs and roll it out until it's large enough to fit into the bottom of your pie dish. Make sure there is a little bit of dough overlapping the edges of the dish so you can make a nice edge after you put the top bits on.  Put a piece of foil over the bottom crust and fill with pie weights (dried beans work for this, too).  Bake for 15 minutes.  Remove from the oven, cool for a few minutes and carefully remove the foil and weights from the crust.

Meanwhile, start making the filling. In a large pot over medium heat, add the cider, brown sugar and apples.  Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove the lid and simmer for 10 more minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.  Again, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat.  Gently fold in the cinnamon and vanilla.  Spoon the apple mixture into the pie plate.  Cut the non-hydrogenated margarine into small, pea-sized pieces and spread them out on top of the apples.  

Roll out the second half of the dough for the top crust.  If you’re not making a lattice crust, cut some small holes in the top crust so steam can escape.  

Now for the crust topping. Mix the non-dairy milk, sugar and hazelnuts in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil for about 2 minutes and then immediately brush it onto the top crust of the pie. If you have one of those silicone brush thingies, this is an excellent use for it. The regular pastry brushes don't work as well since the sugar gets very thick. You can also use the back of a spoon to spread it around. Just make sure you work fast because the sugar is going to harden quickly as it cools and then you won't be able to spread it any longer.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let the pie cool for at least 15 minutes before cutting. Enjoy!

Vegan Mofo Strikes Again

I'm determined to get back into updating this blog.  I keep meaning to and then forgetting and procrastinating again.  However, Vegan MoFo is coming to blogs near you this November!  That is going to be my jumping off point to a more regular system of updates over here again.  yay!

Now here's a picture of Dramatic Marmot.  (I saw him over the summer in Yellowstone National Park. :) )

Herbes de provence

Herbes de provence
Originally uploaded by Fabounet

Here goes my attempt to get back into blogging. I keep thinking about it and thinking of things that I want to share. I think it's been so long that I've become intimidated to get back into things. I have no idea how frequent this will become, but this is a start. :)

As I write this, I'm sipping a cup of cherry rose sencha and smelling the delicious smell of potatoes roasting in the oven. Such a simple thing for a Sunday morning, but always two of my favorite things to include on a relaxing morning. As I was preparing the potatoes for the oven, I was thinking about how simple it is to make them, but how amazing they taste when they come out of the oven.

I've known quite a few people that are intimidated by cooking and I can totally understand that, especially when it's never been something that you've attempted or you don't even know where to start. We all feel like that about something in life.

Well, for all of you out there that get anxious thinking about trying to cook something, I have a tip for you. Go out and buy some herbes de provence. Get yourself a pepper grinder (you can even get them at the dollar store these days) and some sea salt. Probably you'll want some olive oil, too. All of a sudden you've just armed yourself with the basics of what you need to cook quite a few things with little or no effort.

Seriously, quite often you can just cook something in a small amount of olive oil, add some salt and freshly ground pepper and you're golden. If you want a bit more flavor, add some of the herbes de provence. That herb blend is quite adaptable to many different vegetables and grains. That's right - grains, too! The difference between having some plain old quinoa and some quinoa with a dash or herbs is astounding. Instant side dish!

Here's a great way to use them for breakfast: Get yourself some red or yellow potatoes (not the Russets, you want a thin-skinned potato), chop them up, toss them in some olive oil, salt and pepper and herbes de provence. Maybe add a little bit of chopped garlic or some diced red onions. Stir it up and put it in a baking dish and bake them at 400F for about 45 minutes or so. Just check them after about 30 minutes or so by poking one of the potatoes with a fork. If it slides in and out easily, they're done. If not, give it another 10 minutes. You can just eyeball all of the seasonings. I know that can be scary for some people, so if you're worried, start out with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and a teaspoon or so of dried herbes. Just give it a slight dusting of salt and pepper and stir it all up. You can always add the salt and pepper later if you're worried about making it too salty. Once you've made this a time or two, start experimenting. Maybe add some shallots instead of garlic or onions or include some mushrooms or tempeh or something.

Trust me, it'll be delicious no matter what you do if you start with some nice, basic things like that. I've always urged some of my single guy friends who are just discovering cooking to go out and buy some herbes de provence as their go-to herb. It's just one jar and then it's much less scary then having to learn what herbs do what when you're first getting into cooking.

What's in this magical herb mix, you ask? It all depends on where you get it, but the typical herb mix for herbes de provence is savory, basil, thyme and lavender. Sometimes there will be fennel or rosemary or tarragon or oregano or marjoram in the mix as well. I get mine in huge bags from the farmer's market. It's quite cheap to get it that way, but most grocery stores and markets have this, too.

So what're you waiting for? Go make something awesome!

Rebellious Tomato

This is the first time I've sat down for almost the entire day. I've been cooking since around 7am for the Thanksgiving feast tomorrow. Seeing as how it's nearly 10pm now, that's a long day of cooking and standing in a hot kitchen. The last thing I wanted to do tonight was cook dinner for myself. Don't get me wrong, I love cooking, but I'm cooking for tomorrow... I had forgotten to keep something ready to eat tonight.

Enter Rebellious Tomato. This is a local Vancouver pizza joint that just so happens to have vegan pizza. (There's one in North Vancouver and one in Kitsilano if you're in the area.) I usually go in and pick it up or I just eat inside and honestly I didn't even think they delivered. But lucky for me, they do. So in the midst of the flour flying and the stuffing trying to jump out of the bowl and onto the floor, I didn't even have to cook and I still got dinner.

They use this interesting kind of cheese called Daiya. Granted, you have to specifically request it because they do have regular cheese, but still! I'm not much for fast food, but in situations like tonight, this is exactly what a vegan needs. And you can get spelt crust if you want to make it gluten free as well. Even better, there are tons of really fun toppings you can get like capers, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, different kinds of mushrooms, etc. My personal favorite is the Riviera (sun-dried tomatoes, capers, tomatoes, green olives and artichoke hearts).

As happy as I am to have gotten sustenance, I have to giggle at how silly it is to order food when I've been doing nothing but making food all day...

Resurrected!

I've been meaning to start this blog up again for some time now. It being Vegan MoFo time again, I thought it was appropriate.

It's also Canadian Thanksgiving this weekend and I'll be cooking up a storm. I'll post some photos of the awesomeness after the weekend.

SmLove Pie

The menu is:

Assorted Olives (yay garlic-stuffed olives!)

Edamame Dip with veggies and crackers

Homemade Tofurkey type thing - stuffed with...

Stuffing (consisting of whatever looks like fun to add when I go to the store tonight)

Mushroom Gravy

Cranberry Sauce with Tangerine bits

Kale

Maple Mustard Glazed Potatoes and Green Beans (thank you VWAV)

Sweet Potatoes of some sort... maybe mashed?

SmLove Pie

French Apple Tart

and of course... wine, wine and more wine. :)

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Jager Bomb Cupcakes

I have never actually had a Jager Bomb. I'm more of a Bombay Sapphire gin and ginger ale type of gal. But I hear they're all the rage with the kids nowadays. No matter, a friend just sent me this link and I thought it was so awesome, I had to share. If anyone makes these, let me know how they turn out!

From Om Nom Nom...

http://www.ommnomnom.com/2008/vegan-jager-bomb-cupcakes-round-two/

Spaghetti & Beanballs

Yes, more from Veganomicon. Isa and Terry have brainwashed me, I think. It's the most delicious brainwashing ever, though, so I don't really mind I must say. I have been wanting to try making the Spaghetti and Beanballs recipe for ages. I'm not sure why it took me so long to do it. The recipe makes a ton of these cute little things, so really I think I could get away with either only making half next time or freezing half since it's just me that I'm cooking for.

If you're not familiar with this recipe, it's basiscally like a meatball, but made with mashed up kidney beans instead of meat.

See... I had fun mashing up the beans. It's a good way to get out some agression, that's for sure. So you add a bunch of other stuff to the beans like bread crumbs and wheat gluten and herbs and such and you form them into these cute little balls.

There is an option to either fry them or bake them. I remember reading some threads on the PPK forums and some blog postings about these. Most people seemed to prefer the frying pan method of cooking, so I decided to go with that.

These suckers will absorb insane amounts of oil, so be careful how much you're putting in the pan and definitely use olive oil and not some other not as good for you oil. They also sorta start falling apart about halfway through cooking. I managed to keep a few of them whole, but I had to be really careful about it. To be honest, I actually prefered the smaller broken up pieces because then I had more crispy bits when I put it on top of my spaghetti.

This is definitely yummy and definitely something I'll make again. It was quick and easy, too. If you have kids, I'll betcha they'd had fun helping you mix the stuff together and forming the little balls. It's always fun to play with your food just a little bit. :)