Vegan Blackberry Earl Grey Pie
I absolutely adore pie. My mom is an excellent baker and one of my favorite desserts has still got to be her apple pie a-la-mode. Funny story, back in the day when I was “pursuing” my now-husband Eric, I decided to bake him a pie for his birthday (knowing that he loved apple pie). For whatever reason the pie I made ended up being about 20 pounds worth of crust and apples but I tried my best. I packaged it up and headed over to his house to gift the birthday boy with his surprise pie. I thought I was in for a casual birthday get-together with some of his friends, but when I showed up, it was an absolute rager of a party. I didn’t get too much face time with the birthday boy, but upon leaving I had to slip my monstrosity of a pie into the mini-fridge. The next morning I got a call from Eric asking me about this mysterious monstrosity of a pie he had discovered in his mini fridge, as he somehow vaguely remembered me mentioning making him a pie. His family ate that pie for 2 weeks it was so large. But fast forward 10+ years and we’re married with a kid, so obviously the pie was a good idea.
I found this recipe for a healthy, natural sugar, no-bake, vegan earl grey blackberry tart. I’m not vegan, but the sound of this pie made my mouth water. I didn’t have a tart pan so I opted to use a pie plate, which worked just fine. This pie is completely dairy and refined sugar-free but it does not lack in taste or creamyness. The raw vegan almond/coconut crust tastes like a lara bar deconstructed and I added some blackberries in because, well I love them!
Making this pie is incredibly simple and doesn’t take much time at all. It’s the perfect pie when it’s too hot out and you’re looking for a cool, creamy and healthy pie to satisfy your sweet tooth.
MAKING YOUR VEGAN BLACKBERRY EARL GREY PIE
Makes: 1 Vegan Earl Grey Blackberry Pie (8”/20cm)
Prep Time: ~30 minutes (not including cooling time)
INGREDIENTS
PIE CRUST:
1 cup almond flour
1 cup shredded coconut
5 dates
pinch of salt
1 tbsp coconut oil (if needed)
PIE FILLING:
1.5 full fat coconut cream
1/2 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup blackberries (fresh or frozen)
1 tbsp earl grey tea
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tbsp corn starch
2 tsp agar agar
1 tsp vanilla extract
DECORATION:
blackberries
blueberries
shredded coconut
edible flowers
INSTRUCTIONS
MAKING THE CRUST
1. Start with the crust as it will need to set in the fridge for a bit. Start by blending the almond flour, shredded coconut, 5 dates and pinch of salt in the food processor/blender until it becomes a uniform sticky mixture. *If the crust isn’t sticking together you can add a tbsp of coconut oil and the oil will help all of it stick together when it’s chilled. Another option is to soak the dates in hot water for 10 minutes to help them become more sticky.
2. Add the crust dough to your pie pan and spread it evenly to about 1/4 inch from the edges. I like to use the backside of a spoon to push the dough into pie plate. Transfer it to the fridge and leave it to chill for about 15 minutes (while you prep the filling).
PREPARE THE FILLING
3. Pour the coconut cream into a medium sauce pan. Bloom the agar agar. It’s important to ‘bloom’ or rehydrate the agar agar in the coconut cream first to enable the gelling power. Pour the agar agar onto the surface of the coconut cream and leave it for 8-10 minutes before applying heat to activate the thickening agent in the agar. Apply heat and stir until agar agar is well incorporated.
4. Add the rest of the filling ingredients into the sauce pan. Mash the blueberries and blackberries into the liquid so they release juice into the cream. Bring to a slow boil and cook for a few minutes until the mix thickens - stir continuously.
5. When the mixture becomes thicker, remove from the heat and pour through a strainer to remove the lumps.
6. Remove your pie shell from the fridge and pour the filling into the crust. Leave it to cool completely. Transfer it to the fridge and leave it to chill until the filling is completely set.
7. Once the tart has cooled you can decorate it with the extra berries and edible flowers. I like to keep the decoration to only half of the tart so it looks like a crescent moon of decoration.
