Pies and Bread and Bobby Darin

I came home early from class today, which meant I got to make some of the food that I had planned on making yesterday but ran out of time for. 


First, I've really been wanting something with rhubarb in it. Weird cravings galore on this diet. I don't know exactly what my mom used to make with this, but I remembered it being good. So I picked out this recipe: 
http://bakerbettie.com/2012/04/12/strawberry-rhubarb-pie-grain-free-dairy-free-refined-sugar-free/


Strawbarry Rhubarb Pie 

For the Crust (double crust) 


3 cups blanched almond flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 cup grapeseed oil
1/4 cup agave nectar
2 tsp vanilla extract

• In a medium bowl, combine the almond flour, salt, and baking soda.  Make a well in the center.
• Add the grapeseed oil, agave, and vanilla into the well.
• Stir until well combined.
• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Use your pie plate to draw a circle on the parchment.  Flip the paper over.
• Grease the pie plate with grapeseed oil. Pat half of the mixture into the pie plate in a thin even layer.
• Pat the other half of the dough into a circle on the parchment about a 1/2 and inch smaller than the circle.  Cut out a shape in the center if desired, or make slits.
• Bake in a 325 oven for 10-14 minutes, until lightly browned. (this is the only time you will use the oven, fyi)
• Place the top crust in the freezer to set. About 15 minutes.
• Gently remove the top crust from the parchment to top the pie.

For the Filling


4-6 stalks of rhubarb (about 3 cups), roughly chopped
1 pint strawberries, quartered
zest of an orange or lemon
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup agave nectar
3 tbsp arrowroot powder
3 tbsp water

• Heat rhubarb in a medium sauce pan over medium heat until softened.  About 8-10 minutes.
• Add the zest, cinnamon, and agave nectar and cook for 2 more minutes.
• Add the strawberries and cook for 2 minutes more.
• Mix the arrowroot and water in a small bowl to create a slurry.
• Remove the rhubarb mixture from the heat and slowly mix in the slurry to thicken the filling.
• Allow to cool slightly before pouring into the pre-cooked pie crust and topping with the top crust.

Coconut Milk Whipped Cream (I didn't use this)


1 can organic full fat coconut milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp agave

• Allow the coconut milk to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
• Scoop out the milk solids that have separated to the top.  Reserve the coconut water left in the bottom of the can for other uses.
• Using a wire whisk or hand mixer, mix the coconut milk solids, vanilla, and agave until light and fluffy.
• Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.

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I was surprised that you didn't actually bake the whole pie together. You just bake the crust, and then cook the fruit on the stovetop, and then combine the two.


It came out well: 

Isn't this beautiful? I love making desserts so much more than real food. It's always prettier, and there is something relaxing about it.

Now for my advice: 
Crust:
I am a pie crust kind of person. It's always my favorite part of the pie. For this, I think you could go with more/thicker crust. Maybe a 1.5x recipe of the crust. That's what I'll do if I make it again. Also, if you eat the crust by itself, it's super tasty, but I feel like that was a LOT of grapeseed oil. I'm not sure how you could reduce it though, since it was about the right consistency for crust. 


Filling: 


Rhubarb:
I didn't know a lot about rhubarb before getting it. Turns out, the leaves on it are poisonous to humans (so make sure you cut them off and dispose of them), and while you don't HAVE to peel it, I did. The thinner stalks will be more tender, and the bigger/older stalks will be more stringy. If you don't want to peel them, get the thinner stalks. 
I peeled mine because they seemed pretty stringy. I just peeled it with my fingers. 
It also has a very strong flavor, so I would decrease the amount used here. Maybe 2 or 2.5 cups. 


Zest:
I didn't have any zest, so I just put a squirt of lemon in the pot.


Arrowroot and water:
Put the water in the refrigerator for a while before you mix it with the arrowroot. You want it to be really cold, so that when you mix the arrowroot in it and then use it to thicken the fruit mix, it will actually thicken.


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I've found that my enjoyment of cooking stops after the first recipe. I really enjoyed making the rhubarb pie, but then by the time I made my second recipe, I just wanted to go sit down. I made it anyway. 
I picked Banana Fruit Bread from 
http://www.thespunkycoconut.com/2010/08/banana-fruit-bread-gluten-free-dairy.html


Banana Fruit Bread (with my alterations)

For 2 loaves or 9x13 pan

Add to bowl:

4 mashed bananas
6 room temp eggs (cold eggs will harden the coconut oil)
1/3 cup agave nectar
6 tbs liquified coconut oil (melt it in microwave)
1/2 tsp liquid stevia

1/2 tsp vanilla
1 tsp sea salt
3 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup tapioca flour
1 cup coconut flour, sifted
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup chopped walnuts

2 chopped uncooked apples

optional: ¾ cup dried unsweetened cranberries

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Beat with electric mixer.

grease pans, Put batter in pans

Sprinkle 1/3 cup coconut sugar on top

Bake for about 50 minutes

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I didn't add the cranberries because I'm not a fan, but maybe I will next time. If there is a next time...I don't know. This recipe is pretty good. The cinnamon makes it good, but it tasted different I guess. Which is to be expected if you are adjusting to all of these different flours and such. 

Oh, and a tip on the eggs: I never get mine out of the fridge in time for them to get warm. So I just get some really hot water and fill a bowl up, and put the eggs in the water until I use them. It normally does the trick perfectly.

I also was going to mash the bananas with a fork, but the stupid things were sliding all over the place, so I used a masher thing and it was MUCH more effective.


I didn't think I would like the apples, but I really did. Also, i might putting some almond butter on this and see how it tastes. I always used to put peanut butter on the banana bread my mom and sister made.

So how does Bobby Darin come into all of this? Sometimes, when cooking or eating dinner with people (or by myself) I like background music. So I listen to the "Bobby Darin" station on pandora. You'll have to tweak it a lot because some really annoying songs come on, but it's one of the best old stations I've found.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yca2BCwAnBQ

You can't tell me you don't want to dance and cook when you hear that.

But if that's just too much for you, here's a slower one. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRIo8GFIet8