... tangy, tart, sweet, delicious and gooey ...
I’m a firm believer that pie is a staple for all seasons. Savory, sweet, weird…give me all the pie, Please, and Thank You.
Indeed, there is not a mood or a single day of the week that a slice of it can’t improve; they are a staple of British cuisine; Dale Cooper enjoys them with damn fine coffee; Bugs Bunny throws them at Yosemite Sam. I adore pie, especially when it’s linked with good memories. As a yout’, I remember sneaking big chunks of flaky, buttery crust off unsuspecting pies that came out of the oven on the regular…and, just as regularly, getting scolded for it.
(What…! Crust is tasty as heck, man!)
As an adult, I sometimes sneak little bits of crust. Okay, more than occasionally. Lately, I had wanted something reminiscent of a classic lemon meringue but with a twist.
Hmmm, Lemon…What about lemon curd with berries? Yum…..Cherries, too? Heck yeah, that’s it! Add on a tried & true tender, golden crust recipe to balance the tart creaminess of the curd and the bright freshness of the berry-cherry mix – seriously, why isn’t this on my plate right now?!
So, you’re dealing with 3-main parts: Crust, filling, and custard.
The crust is to be made ahead to chill first, and then the custard can be in-progress while the crust is freezing, then assembled w/ the berry-cherry filling to bake, and the lemon custard gets poured over the top as a finisher after it comes out of the oven. The tart & tangy lemon curd on top also covers the berry-cherry center, so there’s even a surprise inside! It looks like lemon, but yummy gooey fruit goodness is cradled within.
Flawless, flaky, worry-free buttery crust? Check.
Gooey, delicious filling? Oh yeah.
Creamy, lemony custard over the top? Done -&- done.
Let’s do this!!!
How To Make Easy Classic Vegan Pie Crust
If it looks a bit rough, don’t worry, it’s ‘rustic’. If there is any overhang of dough over the edges of the pan, tuck it underneath itself to start building the crust’ edge. From there, use your fingers to finish shaping the edge all the way around, like so. Dock bottom on crust with a fork; this will allow steam to escape in the oven as it cooks later on. Store shaped, in freezer until ready to fill & bake.
Allow oat milk, sugar, and lemon rind to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, and let steep for 30-min to 1 hour. This allows the oils from the lemon to infuse into the mixture.
Remove the solid lemon rind pieces from the sweet milk.
Whisk while re-heating to a med-high boil. Stir-in turmeric & corn starch + water slurry. Remove from heat. When thickened, whisk in the vegan butter, citric acid and vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
Toss frozen berries, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar together in a bowl, and transfer into the frozen pie crust.
Preheat the oven to 425℉.
Cover the edge of the pie crust with foil; this will help the filling cook fully without burning the crust. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil from the crust, and bake another 20-30 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling hot. Stir filling to check, of need-be.
Remove from oven, and let cool for 10-minutes. Stir lemon custard well and pour over filling, spreading evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Cool completely in the fridge (4-hours to overnight), before decorating and serving.
Ingredients
Directions
How To Make Easy Classic Vegan Pie Crust
If it looks a bit rough, don’t worry, it’s ‘rustic’. If there is any overhang of dough over the edges of the pan, tuck it underneath itself to start building the crust’ edge. From there, use your fingers to finish shaping the edge all the way around, like so. Dock bottom on crust with a fork; this will allow steam to escape in the oven as it cooks later on. Store shaped, in freezer until ready to fill & bake.
Allow oat milk, sugar, and lemon rind to come to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat, and let steep for 30-min to 1 hour. This allows the oils from the lemon to infuse into the mixture.
Remove the solid lemon rind pieces from the sweet milk.
Whisk while re-heating to a med-high boil. Stir-in turmeric & corn starch + water slurry. Remove from heat. When thickened, whisk in the vegan butter, citric acid and vanilla bean paste. Set aside.
Toss frozen berries, lemon juice, cornstarch, and sugar together in a bowl, and transfer into the frozen pie crust.
Preheat the oven to 425℉.
Cover the edge of the pie crust with foil; this will help the filling cook fully without burning the crust. Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove foil from the crust, and bake another 20-30 minutes, until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling hot. Stir filling to check, of need-be.
Remove from oven, and let cool for 10-minutes. Stir lemon custard well and pour over filling, spreading evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon.
Cool completely in the fridge (4-hours to overnight), before decorating and serving.
