Keep Calm and Bake Pies

Whether apple,coconut, or savory Jamaican beef patty, I hope everyone had an AMAZING Pi(e) day! 🙂

Jamaican Beef Patties

Not ALL pies are dessert pies. They can be savory as well. Jamaican Beef Patties are by far my FAVORITE kind of beef pie. It is spicy and comforting and just oh so delicious. I may not be able to have a Golden Krust spicy Jamaican beef patty, but I can make my own!

Jamaican Beef Patties 

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 dash salt
• 1/4 cup vegan butter (Earth Balance)
• 1/4 cup vegan shortening (Earth Balance)
• 1/3 cup cold water

For the Filling:

• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 1 pound ground beef
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1/2 cup beef broth
• 1/2 cup dry gluten free bread crumbs
• 1 egg, beaten

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line a baking pan or a cookie sheet with tin foil. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, and pinch of salt. Cut in 1/4 cup margarine and shortening until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water until mixture forms a ball. Shape dough into a log, and cut into 10 equal sections. Roll each section into a six inch circle (approximately 1/8 inch thick). Set aside.
3. Melt margarine in a skillet over medium heat. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Stir in ground beef. Season with 1 teaspoon curry powder, thyme, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper. Cook until beef is evenly brown, stirring constantly. Stir in beef broth and bread crumbs. Simmer until liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat.
4. Spoon equal amounts of filling into each pastry circle. Fold over and press edges together, making a half circle. Use a fork to press edges, and brush the top of each patty with beaten egg.
5. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
6. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

I LOVE these! Flaky crust, meaty inside. Delicious! They are perfect for lunch or even dinner on the go! ENJOY!

Mixed Berry Pie with Lactose Free Yogurt

Ready for fruity and creamy all in one pie! This may just be the dessert for you!

Mixed Berry Pie with Lactose Free Yogurt

Not a huge fan of mixed berries? No problem. Use your favorite berry and your favorite berry spread for a one berry treat!

Ingredients

• 1 1/3 cups finely crushed gluten free graham crackers
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 1 egg white, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter
• 3/4 cup Cascadian Farm strawberry fruit spread
• 2 containers (6 oz each) Yoplait Lactose Free French vanilla yogurt
• 6 cups rasbpberries, blueberries, blackberries or halved strawberries
• Fresh mint sprigs

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, combine finely crushed graham crackers and brown sugar. Add egg white and melted butter; stir until well mixed. Press mixture evenly onto bottom and up side of prepared pie plate. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until edge is browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.
3. Meanwhile, for glaze, in a small saucepan, melt fruit spread over medium-low heat. Transfer to a large bowl; cool slightly.
4. Spread yogurt into crust-lined pie plate. In a large bowl, gently toss berries and fruit spread. Spoon over yogurt. Cover and chill for 3 to 6 hours before serving. If desired, garnish with fresh mint.

Impossibly Easy Coconut Pie

Hope you aren’t too full. It’s coconut pie time! Coconut is great in baked goods and pie is no exception. This coconut pie is incredibly easy with only 10 minutes of preparation time!

Impossibly Easy Coconut Pie 

Ingredients

• 3 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups rice or coconut milk
• 1/4 cup vegan butter, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup Bisquick Gluten Free mix

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch glass pie plate with shortening or cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, stir together all ingredients until blended. Pour into pie plate.
3. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Store any remaining pie covered in refrigerator.

HOW EASY IS THAT!?! Easy as…pie! 🙂

ENJOY!

Sugar-Kissed Apple Pie

A sugar-kissed apple pie is the PERFECT first pie recipe on this Pi(e) Day! Let’s get right to it!

Sugar Kissed Apple Pie 

Ingredients

For the Pastry:

• 2 cups all-purpose gluten free flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons vegan shortening
• 4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

For the Filling:

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1/4 cup all-purpose gluten free flour (Better Batter)
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• Dash salt
• 6 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples (6 medium)
• 2 tablespoons vegan butter

For the Topping:

• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 tablespoon sugar

1. Heat oven to 425°F. In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and 1 teaspoon salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
2. Gather pastry into a ball. Divide pastry in half; shape each half into flattened round on lightly floured surface. Wrap flattened rounds of pastry in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until firm and cold, yet pliable.
3. On lightly floured surface, roll 1 round of pastry into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate, using floured rolling pin. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
4. In large bowl, mix 1/2 cup sugar,1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/4 cup flour, the cinnamon, nutmeg and dash of salt. Stir in apples. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over apples. Trim overhanging edge of bottom pastry 1/2 inch from rim of plate.
5. Roll other round of pastry. Fold pastry into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape; place over filling and unfold. Trim overhanging edge of top pastry 1 inch from rim of plate. Fold and roll top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute. Brush top crust with 1 tablespoon water; sprinkle with 1 tablespoon sugar.
6. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.

mmmm classic apple pie slightly kissed with sugar. Delicious, simple and definitely my favorite pie!

ENJOY!

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.

Happy National Pi(e) Day!

YAY! It’s Pi Day! What better on this March 14th than, well what else? PIES! Pies as far as your eyes can see! My favorite is the classic apple and I will be posting a delicious sugar apple pie recipe later on today. I’ll do some delicious fruity pies, creamy pies and maybe even a meat pie! But let’s start with some facts and pie tips! (Thank you American Pie Council…yes there is an American Pie Council)

The History of Pies

• Pie has been around since the ancient Egyptians. The first pies were made by early Romans who may have learned about it through the Greeks. These pies were sometimes made in “reeds” which were used for the sole purpose of holding the filling and not for eating with the filling.
• The Romans must have spread the word about pies around Europe as the Oxford English Dictionary notes that the word pie was a popular word in the 14th century. The first pie recipe was published by the Romans and was for a rye-crusted goat cheese and honey pie.
• The early pies were predominately meat pies. Pyes (pies) originally appeared in England as early as the twelfth century. The crust of the pie was referred to as “coffyn”. There was actually more crust than filling. Often these pies were made using fowl and the legs were left to hang over the side of the dish and used as handles. Fruit pies or tarts (pasties) were probably first made in the 1500s. English tradition credits making the first cherry pie to Queen Elizabeth I.
• Pie came to America with the first English settlers. The early colonists cooked their pies in long narrow pans calling them “coffins” like the crust in England. As in the Roman times, the early American pie crusts often were not eaten, but simply designed to hold the filling during baking. It was during the American Revolution that the term crust was used instead of coffyn.
• Over the years, pie has evolved to become what it is today “the most traditional American dessert”. Pie has become so much a part of American culture throughout the years, that we now commonly use the term “as American as apple pie.”

Pie Making Tips 

1. Read the recipe in its entirety before beginning. Make sure you have all of the ingredients and utensils and make sure that you understand all of the directions. Many mistakes have been made skipping steps.
2. Cold ingredients are essential to making a great pie crust It even helps to have cold bowls and utensils. . In addition, be sure to chill the dough for at least an hour before rolling it out. Keeping the shortening cold ensures a nice flaky crust!!
3. Don’t overwork or overhandle the dough. Your shortening/butter should be coated with flour mixture, not blended with it. Over-processing causes gluten to form, a substance that toughens the dough. It’s even a good idea to have cold hands before handling.
4. Carefully transfer the dough into your pie dish. Fit the dough into the dish (avoid stretching). Trim the dough to 1″ inch over hang and tuck it under itself to create a thick rim.
5. With the index finger on one hand, press the dough against the thumb and forefinger of the opposite hand; continue around the perimeter of the crust and dish following the natural flute of the Emile Henry pie dish.
6. To ensure that your bottom crust is finished, bake pie in the lower third of the oven. You may have to cover the edges with foil or a crust protector to avoid overbrowning the edges.
7. Make sure that all of your ingredients are really fresh. Try making fruit pies when the fruits are in season to ensure a wonderful pie.

The Huffington Post has a great article all about Pi Day in America!

Stay tuned for lots more pi!

pi love (to all my Alpha Delta Pi sisters out there! < ❤ > )

Kwegyirba Croffie is a freelance Associate Producer at News 12 Connecticut and a Special Events/Event Planning and Social Media Intern at College Lifestyles (TM). She is a Quinnipiac University alumni and a sister of Alpha Delta Pi. She enjoy cupcakes,Broadway musicals, Forever 21 ,giraffes, peacock feathers, orchids, lillies and anything Disney.