Sunday, April 26, 2015

Strawberry and Pomegranate Pie (AIP, Paleo)


PIE. I am actually not the biggest pie fan, BUT my mom's strawberry pie was the definition of summer to me. Loaded with sugar and topped with whipped cream, it was my favorite treat growing up. Obviously, there was no way I could have a piece of that now, so I had to figure out how to make something that was just as worthy, but appropriate for my new lifestyle.

This  recipe uses Otto's Naturals Cassava Flour. I am so excited to have found a flour that truly works as a 1:1 substitute to regular flour. It has opened a whole new world for the AIP/Paleo community.


Strawberry and Pomegranate Pie




Ingredients


Crust
  • 1 ¼ cup cassavaflour, plus another tablespoon for dusting
  • A pinch of Salt (approximately 1/8 teaspoon)
  • 2 tablespoons maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons of avocado oil
  • Up to 6 tablespoons of cold water
Filling
  • 1 cup of blended strawberries 
  • ½ cup pomegranate juice
  • 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon of gelatin
  • ½ - 3 cups of diced strawberries (depending on how much you want to stuff your pie, hehe) 





Preparation


Pie crust
  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Lightly grease pie pan with 1 teaspoon of palm shorting. (I have only tested this recipe with a glass pie dish, so I am not sure how another type will bake.)
  3. In a large bowl, add cassava flour and salt.
  4. Make a small whole in the center of the flour and add in the maple syrup, palm shortening, and avocado oil.
  5. Now get your hands dirty. Use them to mix all the ingredients together. It will be crumbly, this is ok, just be sure to combine, so the flour is no longer powder.
  6. Finally, add in cold water, one tablespoon at a time. It will begin to become dough like, mixing it with a spatula. First it will get a sticky. Add enough water so that it is no longer stick and can be formed into a ball, but don't over work it either so that it is to smooth.
  7. On a clean work surface, lightly dust with cassava flour. Grab your rolling pin and dust it a little too.
  8. Form the dough into a large ball and put it on the dusted surface. Roll out the dough to form a large circle. You will need to do this very slowly and work with the dough, be patient. 
  9. When crust is ready, transfer to pie dish. Crimp the edges with your finger and use a fork to poke the bottom of the crust.
  10. Place in oven and cook for 20 mins. 
  11. Once done, remove, and let crust cool.
This crust can be made a day or two in advanced. If you choose to make it on the same day, you will need to allow time for it to completely cool before adding the filling. This could be a few hours.



Filling

  1. Add sliced strawberries to cooled pie crust. You want to fill the whole crust and for them to be level with the top edge of the crust or a little over.
  2. In a small sauce pan, combine crushed strawberries, pomegranate juice, and maple syrup.
  3. Sprinkle on gelatin and let bloom for 1 minute, 
  4. Over low heat, warm sauce for 2-3 minutes, lightly whisking as gelatin melts.
  5. Once warmed, carefully pour sauce over strawberries so that it evenly covers them.
  6. Place in fridge and let it set for at least an hour. Again you can make this pie a day ahead of time.



When ready to serve, let sit out for about 30 mins to an hour. You can eat it right out of the fridge, but letting it warm, just provides a little better of a texture.
Serve it topped with some whipped coconut cream or a little date syrup if you get your hands one some. 




Shared on AIP Recipe Roundtable



12 comments:

  1. Alexandra, This pie looks wonderful. I have been looking for a substitute for AP flour for quite some time. i recently took on the AIP lifestyle ( due to Hashimotos) and thought I would have to give up on traditional type desserts. I am a baker and it has been tough,,, Thank you so very much for sharing your recipes and the link for Ottos Natural Cassava Flour. I will be purchasing this and making your recipes,,,, Thanks again,,

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    1. Thank you so much for your comment and kind words! I am sorry to hear of your diagnoses, but please that you have found the AIP lifestyle. I hope it helps you as much as it has for me. AIP baking his hands down one of the hardest things. The Cassava flour by Ottos Natural, as I mentioned in the post, has really been the BEST substitute I have found by far. I can't wait for your to try working it and testing your own recipes! Let me know how it goes.

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  2. Oh,,, I almost forgot to ask,,,Is the whipped cream you have on top of your pie a whipped Coconut milk? or Coconut Cream? Since it is an AIP I assumed it was,,,

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    1. Thanks for asking. It is whipped coconut milk/cream. So basically I placed a can of coconut milk in the fridge overnight. Then I scoop out the separated cream from the top and whipped that. I have not found any canned coconut cream that did not have additionally additives, but I have been able to find clean coconut milk.

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  3. The crust ingredients: I assume it's "cups" for the flour and shortening?

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    1. Oh dear. Yes, they are cups. I have updated the recipe. Thanks for checking.

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    2. Thanks! You might also want to change "shorting" to "shortening" so as not to confuse anyone! :)
      Excited to try this pie. Thanks for the great recipes.

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    3. Oh goodness. Thanks for pointing that out as well. I was so eager to post the recipe, I should have reviewed the post once more. I am very interested to hear what you think of the recipe. Please let me know when you are able to give it a try.

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  4. Looks so delicious and healthy!! Yumm!

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    1. Thanks Marcelle! It is super tasty and a much healthier option than the traditional strawberry pie.

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  5. Is this flour commonly available? Or will I need to shop at whole foods?

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