Coconut Cream Pie with Pecan Crust - Vegan

Makes one 9-inch or four 4-inch pies

Light coconut flavor, creamy custard, fluffy whipped cream, crispy nutty crust and just a bit of dark chocolate.

Pecan-Wheat Germ Press-In Pie Crust

1.25 C pecans, ground
.5 C raw wheat germ
2 T sugar
2 T AP flour
1 T lightly toasted unsweetened coconut
.25 t salt
3 T non-hydrogenated margarine

2 oz unsweetened chocolate

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

In a food processor, process pecans to a medium grind – some larger and smaller pieces are fine. Be careful not to overprocess to nuts into a paste. Add the remaining ingredients except for chocolate and pulse until just combined.

Press the mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie plate (four 4-inch mini-pie plates). Bake 20-25 (12-25) minutes or until light golden brown and slightly aromatic. Cool completely.

Melt the unsweetened chocolate and drizzle or brush over the bottom of the tart shell. Let set at least 15 minutes or chill in refrigerator for at least 5 minutes before filling.


Coconut Pastry Creme
modified from the vegan chef

.25 C unbleached AP flour
.25 C garbanzo bean flour
2 C coconut milk
.5 C sugar
pinch fine ground white pepper
pinch turmeric
pinch of salt
2 T lemon juice
1 t vanilla

In a small bowl, make a slurry of the flours and .5 C milk and set aside.

In a small saucepan, whisk together the remaining milk, sugar and salt. Whisk to incorporate the flour mixture into the liquid ingredients.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 4-6 minutes. Whisk in the remaining ingredients and continue cook and additional minute. Remove from heat and transfer crème to a clean bowl.

Cover with plastic wrap or waxed paper, pressing the cover to the top of the crème to prevent skin formation. Cool completely before using.


Assembly

soy or rice whipped cream
baked, chocolate brushed pie shell
coconut pastry creme

Stir creme to loosen it up before folding in .5 C of whipped cream. Spread lightened creme into prepared shell. Decorate top of pie with remaining whipped cream (a simple starpoint pattern or wavy lines look lovely). Dust the top with cinnamon, drizzle with melted unsweetened chocolate or sprinkle on some toasted unsweetened shredded coconut. Chill for at least 15 minutes before serving. Cover with plastic wrap if reserving for a longer period, up to a day in the refrigerator.

Deep Dish Vegetable Tart

makes one 10-inch tart



The dough for this tart is simple to make and the tart itself is just as delicious flat out and free-form as it is seated in the pan. Naturally, the filling is a matter of personal preference, and great liberties can and should be taken. Once baked, serve the tart warm or at room temperature, indoors or out – it makes great picnic fare.

Soft Tart Dough
This dough can be made a day or two ahead of time and refrigerated, or frozen for up to a month (defrost over night in the refrigerator before using).

.5 C water, heated to 100-110ºF
.5 t active dry yeast
1/8 t sugar

1.5 C unbleached AP flour
.5 C white whole wheat flour or additional AP flour
1 t kosher salt
2T olive oil
2-4 T water

flour and cornmeal, for dusting

Combine the water, yeast and sugar in the bowl or a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook attachment. Let stand 5-10 minutes, until foamy.

Add flours, salt, oil and 1 T of water to the yeast mixer and mix on low speed until combined; add more water as needed to create a uniform, slightly tacky dough. Increase speed to medium-low and mix 5-8 minutes to develop a smooth dough. It may be necessary to add a little more flour now and then to prevent the dough from sticking.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead briefly before rounding. Place in a medium, oiled bowl and turn to coat. Cover the bowl with a damp cloth and set aside to rise until doubled in bulk, 1-2 hours.

The dough is now ready to use.


The Filling

1 small head garlic
1 yellow onion
1 medium carrot
2 pattypan squash
.5 C fire-roasted diced tomatoes, well drained (about half a can)
olive oil

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Remove the papery outer skins and cut the tops from the garlic cloves. Place garlic in a medium square of aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Bake until very tender, 30-40 minutes. Unwrap and let cool slightly before squeezing the cloves from the skins and mashing with a fork.

Meanwhile, halve and finely slice the onion crosswise. Peel and trim the carrot and slice thinly into rounds. Halve the squash and remove the seedy center. Cut crosswise into 1/8-1/4-inch slices. Toss squash with a little bit of salt and set aside.

Preheat a tablespoon of olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add carrot, spreading slices into a single layer, and cook a minute or so without disturbing. Give the pan a shake to unseat and flip the carrots. Add the onion and a sprinkling of salt and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the onion is soft and golden brown and the carrot is tender. Remove onion and carrot mixture to a bowl and return the pan to the heat.

Oil the pan very lightly. Arrange squash slices in pan in a single layer (two or three batches may be necessary). Cook, without disturbing, until the edged brown a bit. Flip slices and continue cooking until tender and nicely browned. Remove to a bowl or plate while preparing the remaining slices.


The Tart

Preheat oven to 450ºF

Lightly oil the sides of a 10-inch springform pan and dust the bottom with cornmeal.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough to a 14-inch round. Fit the dough to the prepared pan, pressing the edges to the sides of the pan to create a lip about 1.5-inches tall all around.

Drizzle the center of the tart with about a tablespoon of olive oil and spread it around with a fork or your fingers. Spread the mashed roasted garlic evenly over dough. Arrange a single layer of squash slices over the garlic, and about half the diced tomatoes over that. Distribute half the onion-carrot mixture over the tart, followed by the remaining squash, the tomatoes, and the rest of the onions and carrots. Top it all off with some freshly ground black pepper.

Bake 20-30 minutes, until the edges are nicely browned. Cool slightly before slicing and serving.