Gluten Free Lemon "Cream" Meringue Pie

I received my first Cook book at the age of 6........  It was a Betty Crocker Children's Cook Book,  and I am sure I still have it in my stash somewhere.  Food and cooking have been my life, passion, lively hood and way I have been able to take care of the  people i care about..  My baking experience has really given me great roots to start to explore Gluten free baking.  It can be easy, and it can be challenging, depending on what you want to recreate.  I believe you need to start where you are at.....  (in anything)  So , I will be giving recipes for both regular flour, milk, etc, and also subs for making things Gluten, and dairy free.  I bake quite often for my friends, and family members who are cutting gluten and dairy out of their diet.

A note about substitutions,  think of the Texture and color especially when substituting for dairy.  I prefer coconut milk, as I think it substitutes really well.  I have even used it in chocolate ganache.  My Katie,  doesn't do well with coconut milk, so I used Hemp milk for this recipe.....  it turned out a little brown,  but it was absolutely delicious!  And if you have never made a pie crust before......  there is a learning curve involved.  Handle it as little as possible, re-rolling only makes things worse.  It is better to patch and pat it in the pan.....  besides you are really going to cover it all up anyway with filling, so RELAX!!!!

I used Namaste foods Biscuits, Pie crust &More!  for my Crust.  I used butter(you can Sub organic shortening here) just fallowed the recipe on the bag, adding 1/4 cup pdw sugar to make it a sweet crust.  I divided this dough in 1/2, wrapped in plastic, shaped them into a disk, and put in the refrigerator overnight.  (at least an hour, this really helps distribute the moisture in the crust and chills the fat so it will be nice and flaky)  Roll out on a floured surface, use a pastry scraper to move the crust to the pan.  Pat int place, patching where needed.  Flute edges, and bake 400*  for 12 to 15 minutes.  Let cool completely.

Filling:

2 cups Hemp milk
2/3 cup turbonado sugar
1/2 cup fresh organic squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup corn starch (can sub sweet rice flour)
4 egg yolks
2 Tlb butter (can omit)

Heat Hemp milk and sugar in saucepan. 
Whisk cornstarch into lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add egg yolks.
When milk is almost to a simmer,  add a cup slowly whisking into the egg /lemon mixture.(this is called tempering)
Now add this mixture back into the simmering milk on the stove, whisking the whole time.
Cook over Medium heat until boiling, and continue to boil for 1 minute.  pull off heat and add butter.
Place in a bowl, placing plastic wrap against the filling, and cool in refrigerator. (a couple hours before you start on the Meringue)

Meringue:

4 egg whites
2/3 cup sugar
pinch sea salt

Bring a small pan of water to simmer on the stove.  In a stainless steel bowl,  mix egg whites, sugar and salt.  place bowl over simmering water. Mix by hand with wire whisk, continually mixing, until It is hot, (about 140*)  Remove from heat and beat by hand or with electric mixer until stiff, but still shiny peaks form.  (stiff peaks are when you slowly raise the beater out of the bowl, and turn it over, and the eggs come to a point,  they do not bend over....) 

Place filling in prepared crust, spread Meringue  over top, sealing all edges, and bake in a 400* oven for 7 to 10 minutes until Meringue is colored evenly. 
cool

We like to add a layer of Raspberries in the filling.
Happy Baking!


 

Wandering with Walnuts

You have to have faith in the future to plant a Walnut Tree..............
My Father planted 2 out at the farm, from a mail order catalog I think.  They can grow up to 150 ft high..... and live several times as long as we humans.  They were planted next to the Horse corrals, and it has been a good relationship.  The old Manure has fed the trees...... and the horses have beautiful shiny coats.

It took a few years for the trees to produce....  they were just little saplings when they were planted.  When they finally did set,  My parents convinced my Baby Brother Rand he could make a killing selling FRESH, HAND CRACKED WALNUTS.  He went to the store and saw they were $2.79 a pound (yes, this was a long time ago....)  and Rand , being the bright business mind he was..... saw dollar signs on those  trees.The wheels were set in motion.  All Fall he picked and shelled walnuts until the freezer was full.  He even had a great slogan.........  "Hand Picked by Real Native Americans".........   Yes it was a grand plan,  until Ma and Pa gave all of his hard work away......  to his sisters, visiting friends......  Neighbors........  so much for the Walnut fund..........   But thank you Rand,  for the Walnuts! 

My children also got to get in the walnut harvesting business.....  they would get a Quarter for every bag full of walnuts they picked up.  (they assure me this was NOT enough money.....)  and now My brothers children pick up the walnuts at the farm.........  and tonight,  I am cracking a batch. 

Walnuts have long been considered Brain food......from the doctrine of signatures.Walnuts are one of the few nuts that contain omega -3 fatty acids and they are the main non-fish source of Alpha -linolenic acid. They are nutrient dense with antioxidants, vitamin E, and minerals. They are a rich source of protein, dietary fiber and have no dietary cholesterol.(Murray 461)

A 1/3 cup serving of shelled walnuts contain 210 calories, 20 grams of fat,  5 grams of protein, and 6 grams of carbohydrate.    Shelled by your own had and kept in the freezer, they will keep for a year.

Sally Fallon, in Nourishing Traditions
 http://books.google.com/books/about/Nourishing_Traditions.html?id=xIKkmlKOFfQC
Shows you how to soak and then re-crisp your nuts to retain the wonderful nutrition in walnuts. Soaking them overnight helps neutralize the natural enzyme inhibitors in the nuts so your body can more easily absorb the nutrition.  Her Rosemary Walnuts are amazing.......  I just love this book in general......  I highly recommend it.


Walnut Pesto,Cinnamon Walnut Granola, and of course many a Carrot cake through the years have had the secret ingredient of wonderful fresh walnuts. 

Yesterday, My baby brother Rand and his partner had a beautiful baby boy, Max Davin.  I think, the best gift I could give them, is a Walnut tree.
You have to have faith in the future to plant a Walnut Tree...............