Crafty Cookery

For New Year’s Eve my housemates invited a handful of people over for food and movies. My contribution to the festivities is two pies: a pumpkin pie and a cashew pie. Both are gluten free, cane sugar free and dairy free. I’m confident about the pumpkin pie but am a little nervous about the cashew pie. I never made a pecan pie before my sensitivities much less now. O.o *fingers crossed*

Dairy Free Gluten Free Sugar Free Pie Crust

1 cup white rice flour
3/4 cup corn starch
3/4 cup tapioca flour
1 tsp xanthan gum
3/4 tsp salt
2 tsp stevia
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup vegan margarine, at room temp.
1 egg
1 Tbs white vinegar
2 Tbs ice cold water

Combine dry ingredients and whisk together. Add shortening and margarine and mix with a pastry blender until dry ingredients are incorporated and dough resembles small pebbles. Mix together egg, vinegar and water in a larger bowl. Slowly combine dry ingredients into the liquid ingredients. Knead until it forms a consistent dough. Form dough into two balls. Cover in plastic wrap and chill for at least a half hour (can be chilled for several hours). Roll balls out between lightly rice floured sheets of waxed paper until about an 1/8 of an inch thick.

Sugar Free Cashew Pie

3 large eggs
1/2 cup light agave nectar
1/2 cup dark agave nectar
5 Tbs stevia
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 Tbs vegan margarine, melted
1 1/2 cup chopped, roasted cashew, unsalted
1 Tbs brown rice flour

Combine eggs, agave nectar, stevia, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Mix well. Add margarine. Mix cashews with flour and stir into the mixture. Turn into unbaked pastry shell. Bake in a preheated oven 400* F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to moderate 350* F and bake for 40 minutes, or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

Almond Honey Cakes are a traditional solstice treat. I’m leaving one outside tonight as an offering to the Goddess, the fey and the creatures that live in my backyard (mostly birds and insects) as well as pouring a libation of mulled white wine.

I’ve had this basic recipe on my computer for more than a year so I don’t know the original source. As usual, I changed it a bit to suit my tastes and how I prefer to bake (recipes that are as easy as possible). I’m getting a lot of use out of my housemate’s stand mixer. I love it!

1 3/4 cups almond meal
4 eggs, at room temperature, separated
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup toasted, sliced almonds (for garnish)
2 Tbs honey (for garnish)

Pre-heat oven to 350* F. Coat a six cup jumbo muffin pan with cooking spray. Beat egg yolks, honey, vanilla, almond extract, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until well combined. Add the almond meal and beat on low until mixed. Beat egg whites in another large bowl with the electric mixer on medium speed until very foamy, white and doubled in volume, but not stiff enough to hold peaks. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the egg whites into the nut mixture until just combined. Ladle the batter into the prepared muffin tin, equally filling each of the six cups. Bake the cakes until golden brown and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20-25 minutes. Let cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes before running a knife around the edge and carefully removing the cakes from the tin. Allow to finish cooling. Before serving, drizzle honey over the tops and sprinkle with toasted, sliced almonds.