Hoorah! A little while back, Dynise from Urban Vegan asked me to participate in the blog tour for her newest book "Pies and Tarts with Heart." I was stoked! So, her publisher sent me a copy and I started reading through and planning my pie adventures. Then, MoFo came along, and my pie dreams faded to the back burner. I'm grateful to this blog tour to getting my off my post-MoFo-rear-end and back to the blog!
In the last week or so, I've made three pies - which might seem crazy, but this book has a great selection of sweet and savory pies... so it's actually really versatile. I'll be honest, with just two of us chickens, I don't make pie all that often and I wasn't sure how much I would use this book. However, the three things I've made so far were totally dynamite, and that is all the encouragement I need to keep using this book!
First up, I made the Aloo Palak Pie. In India, I am always seeking out every "palak" dish I can find ("palak" = "spinach"). I love dal palak, dosa palak, etc etc. So this recipe was the first one that grabbed my attention. It's got a "crust" made of mashed potatoes, and then that is filled up with a huge bunch of spinach cooked with Indian spices. This was a total hit, and definitely something I will make again!
Next up, I made the Lemon Fluff Pie for my dad. My dad really loves citrusy desserts, and so this seemed like something he would love. The crust is a press-in Graham Cracker Crust, which was really simple. After filling the pie, there was a little bit of filling left over, so I poured that into a bowl for us to enjoy. Since my mom and dad aren't going to eat a whole pie by themselves, I also nicked a couple pieces for us. This pie was super easy and super delicious! Totally summery and bursting with lemony goodness. Plus, I have SO MANY lemons on my lemon tree, I was happy to use up a few more of them.
Many of the dessert recipes (including this one) call for silken tofu and for store-bought cream cheese, so that is something to be aware of if you're soy-averse or if you don't have access to products like Tofutti. I don't usually go for recipes with Tofutti in them, but this pie was really good and definitely worth the indulgence.
Finally, I made the Quiche Lorraine, which is one of the 10 quiche options in the book. That's something I really like about this book. Instead of filling up ten pages with very similar recipes, she's got one page called "Quiche 10 Ways," with the basic framework and then lots of ideas on how to vary it. So, I picked Quiche Lorraine, which involved adding tempeh bacon, onion and garlic to the basic quiche foundation. I skipped the suggestion to add Daiya cheese, because that's not really my thing.
For the crust option, I chose to make her "Grain-Based Crust," and used cooked quinoa for the crust. I LOVED this crust idea so much! It was easy and nutritious and super delicious. I am totally going to use this idea over and over again. The quiche itself was rich and yummy and nutritious. We had it for dinner one night, and then I had the leftovers for breakfast for a few more days in a row. It was a great breakfast!
Overall, I really love that this book has so many tips and tricks in it. As you can see from the pies I made, there are tons of different ideas for pie crusts, and lots of suggestions on how to be successful with your pie adventures. There are sections for dessert pies, raw pies, and savory pies... with lots of variety. I have quite a few more recipes marked that I would like to try out, including: Crostata di Marmelata, Ginger Pear Pie, Greek Spinach Pie, and Banana Cream Pie. Yum!
cookin' up some pies!
isn't the mashed potato crust cool?
wakka-wakka! Pac-Man Pie!
Many of the dessert recipes (including this one) call for silken tofu and for store-bought cream cheese, so that is something to be aware of if you're soy-averse or if you don't have access to products like Tofutti. I don't usually go for recipes with Tofutti in them, but this pie was really good and definitely worth the indulgence.
check out the baked quinoa crust!
For the crust option, I chose to make her "Grain-Based Crust," and used cooked quinoa for the crust. I LOVED this crust idea so much! It was easy and nutritious and super delicious. I am totally going to use this idea over and over again. The quiche itself was rich and yummy and nutritious. We had it for dinner one night, and then I had the leftovers for breakfast for a few more days in a row. It was a great breakfast!
dreaming up more pie plans with Francisco
No recipes this time around?
ReplyDeleteHi Anony! In order to incentivize people to buy this new title, the publishers only want to have a few of these recipes out there on the internet. I don't think any of the recipes I tried were approved for sharing... but I encourage you to check out the other stops along the blog tour for recipes and chances to win a copy of the book! http://urbanvegan.net/2013/10/blog-tour-begins-paris-bound.html
DeleteI would love the recipe for the lemon fluff.
ReplyDeleteHi Andrea! Check out my response above... That lemon fluff pie is really great! Maybe enter some contests and see if you can win a copy! Sorry I didn't get to do a giveaway this time around! :)
DeleteWow, the Lemon Fluff and the Quiche Lorraine look amazing, I'm thinking of putting this book on my Christmas wish list
ReplyDeleteAll your pies look so good! I'm sorely tempted to try and add this book to my mounting vegan cookbook collection.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing what you made from the book Amey. All 3 pies look delicious. I'm a big lemon fan and adore savoury pies too.
ReplyDeleteI usually make mine mini though so I can halve or quarter recipes, since, like you say, having a whole pie around when you're cooking for just one or two seems a little crazy!
oh my gosh. that aloo palak pie looks to die for. i must get the recipe.
ReplyDeleteGreat review -thanks, Amey! I totally didn't look at this book because like you I don't make a ton of pies. But I did not realize there was a savory section. And I am very excited about the quinoa crust. Just looked at the book preview now after reading your post, and will definitely be getting this one.
ReplyDelete:) jen e.
Thanks for the review, which is leading me to order a copy.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, the aloo palak pie looks amazing. The idea of a savory pie section is too exciting!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like a great book! I think it's great that there are both recipes for sweet and savoury pies.
ReplyDeleteMashed potato crust...that just sends me spinning with possibilities! And now I have Quiche Lorraine craving too...my dad used to make that when I was a kid and I always felt so sophisticated eating a yumful dish with a big French name. I'd love to make the veganized version. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for this review, Amey! You make the book sound so versatile and intriguing, full of different types of recipes.
ReplyDeleteMm, these look great! Really like the idea of quinoa based crust!
ReplyDeleteWhoa — you made two of the recipes I'm planning to make for my review! The Aloo Palak is on our menu for next week, and the quiche, if I have time. They both look so yummy. But now that I see the lemon fluff . . . I just don't know. So many choices . . .
ReplyDeleteHmmm, I didn't think I needed another pie book until I read this but I love the look of the Aloo Palak Pie and the grain crust idea for the quiche! Yum!
ReplyDelete