The Joy of Gluten-Free, Sugar-Free Baking (28 page)

Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Have the piecrust ready.

To make the topping, put all of the ingredients in a small bowl and stir with a large spoon or rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. The mixture should be crumbly and dry. If it lumps up rather than forming crumbles, refrigerate for about 30 minutes, until hardened, and then crumble it with your fingers.

To make the filling, put the apples in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the Splenda, almond flour, cinnamon, butter, lemon juice, and liquid stevia and stir gently with a large spoon or rubber spatula until thoroughly combined. Add this mixture to the apples and mix together until all the apples are thoroughly coated. Then pour the mixture, juices and all, into the unbaked piecrust; the apples will mound up higher than the edges of the pan.

Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the apples.

Put the pie on a baking sheet and cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent burning. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake for about 20 more minutes. Remove the foil from the edges of the piecrust and bake for about 10 minutes, until the topping and crust are golden brown.

Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. Keep refrigerated.

 

The winter holidays just wouldn’t be the same without pumpkin pie. Here’s a version everyone can enjoy, regardless of sensitivity to gluten or sugar. Plus, it can be made in advance—always a bonus during the busy holiday season. It keeps well in the refrigerator for 3 or 4 days, and in the freezer for weeks. Don’t forget the
Sugar-Free Whipped Cream
or ice cream!

Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Have the piecrust ready.

In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Add the pumpkin, milk, Splenda, cinnamon, ginger, allspice, vanilla, and liquid stevia and whisk to make a smooth, pourable batter.

Put the crust on a baking sheet and pour the filling in. Cover the edges of the crust with foil to prevent burning. Bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake for about 25 minutes, until the center of the pie is slightly springy to the touch. Remove the foil and bake for about 10 minutes, until the edges of the crust are golden brown and a knife or toothpick inserted into the middle of the pie comes out clean.

Let the pie cool for at least 1 hour before slicing and serving. Keep refrigerated.

In essence, a cream pie is basically a prebaked pie crust filled with pastry cream, a custard made with two thickeners: eggs, which are the defining ingredient of all custards, and some sort of starch—usually cornstarch or arrowroot powder. This second thickener is what distinguishes pastry cream from baked custards such as flan or crème brûlée. Because we aren’t using starches in any of our recipes, making a satisfying pastry cream was a challenge, but after a great deal of experimentation, Denene developed this recipe, which is thickened with gelatin or, for vegetarians, agar.

Have the piecrust ready. In a heavy sauce pan, combine the milk and half of the Splenda and cook over medium-high heat until almost simmering.

Meanwhile, combine the eggs, the remaining Splenda, and the almond flour and whisk until thoroughly blended. Ladle about one-fourth of the hot milk mixture into the egg mixture and whisk to combine. Then, ladle in another one-fourth of the hot milk and whisk to combine; this will gradually heat the eggs without curdling them.

Lower the heat to medium, pour in the egg mixture, and whisk until thoroughly blended. Switch to a wooden spoon and cook, stirring slowly and constantly to prevent burning and keep the eggs from curdling. As soon as the mixture is nearly simmering, with steady but gentle bubbling throughout, remove from the heat. The mixture will thicken slightly, but not as much as a traditional pastry cream; it will be more like gravy. Add the butter, vanilla, and liquid stevia and whisk gently until the butter melts and disappears into the mixture. If the mixture seems grainy or lumpy, whisk until smooth. If it curdles, don’t worry, just whisk out the lumps as best you can.

Let the mixture cool until you can touch the outside of the pot for more than 5 seconds. Sprinkle in the gelatin and whisk to distribute it evenly. It won’t dissolve completely at first, but as the custard cools the gelatin will soften and begin to firm up the custard. Place a piece of plastic wrap tightly over the top of the saucepan to prevent the custard from forming a skin. After about 30 minutes, when the custard is just slightly warm to the touch, put it in the refrigerator until completely cooled. Remove it from the refrigerator and whisk or use an electric hand mixer to whip the filling until it becomes fluffy, about 1 to 2 minutes. Pour it into the prebaked pie shell, spreading it in an even layer. Mist the surface with spray oil, then cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 2 hours.

Just before serving the pie, make the whipped cream. Put the cold cream in a medium-size stainless steel bowl. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment at medium speed (or a strong arm with a sturdy whisk—and good endurance), beat the cream just until it begins to thicken. Add the vanilla and 10 drops of the liquid stevia and continue beating until soft to medium-firm peaks form. Avoid overbeating, or you’ll make butter! Taste for sweetness. If you prefer it sweeter, gently whisk in more stevia, a drop at a time. (Store any unused whipped cream in the refrigerator in an airtight container; after a few days, it will begin to weep out some of the liquid, but you can simply rewhip it if that happens.)

Garnish the pie with the whipped cream and serve right away.

The amount of liquid stevia for this recipe will vary depending on the type of fruit you use: sour cherries are obviously less sweet than blueberries, and raspberries fall somewhere in the middle. With sweeter berries, it may be possible to omit the stevia altogether. Use ¼ teaspoon of liquid stevia for moderately sweet fruit, and up to 1 teaspoon for tart cherries.

Preheat the oven to 375°F (191°C). Have the piecrust ready.

Put the egg whites in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer with the whisk attachment at medium-high speed (or a strong arm with a sturdy whisk—and good endurance), beat the eggs for 3 to 5 minutes, until fairly stiff peaks form. (This will go more quickly if the egg whites are at room temperature, rather than cold.) Add the Splenda and beat until it’s evenly distributed and beginning to dissolve and stiff peaks form. Fold in the fruit and liquid stevia with a rubber spatula.

Put the crust on a baking sheet and pour the filling in. Cover the edges of the crust with aluminum foil and bake for 25 minutes, then rotate the baking sheet and bake for 20 more minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 5 to 10 more minutes, or until the crust is golden brown.

Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing and serving.