Blueberry Pie Filling

Every "ten tips for blog success" post you will find will tell you that your blog should be an uplifting, happy place. You shouldn't write about your bad days and frustrations. It needs to be all sunshine & rainbows. But I just can't agree with that sentiment. It's too hunky-dory for me. I would rather be real. March has been a rough month for me personally, and I am more than happy to celebrate its end. There's been a lot of stress, a lot of changes, and a lot of emotional heaviness weighing me down. This weekend I worked two 12 hour days creating all of the Easter items and filling the wave of catering orders. I woke up at 3:30am. There's not many people who will give you really happy feedback on rising at that hour. But at the end of my shift yesterday I walked across the parking lot and realized that the sky finally wasn't gray anymore, the snow was all gone, and I could take off my coat finally. April is just around the corner, and things will definitely get better. Until Mother's Day. At least it doesn't fall on my birthday this year!



Blueberry Pie Filling
enough filling for 1 nine inch or 2 six inch pies

4 cups fresh blueberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
3 tbl water
zest of half a lemon

In a small saucepan combine 1 cup of blueberries and sugar. Mash some of the blueberries with the back of a wooden spoon or spatula to release some of the juice. Cook on medium heat until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture has come to a rolling boil. Whisk cornstarch into the water. Pour into boiling blueberries. Cook until a thick jam has formed, then remove from burner and allow to cool for ten minutes. In a large bowl combine the remaining blueberries and lemon zest. Fold jam into the berries. Now you're ready to fill your crust. I generally use a double crust with blueberry pie because it is a little juicy. I always brush the top crust with coconut milk and sprinkle a little sugar on it. It gives you a perfectly crisp top with a lovely golden shine.


I know berries are still a little pricey. But they are back in season so soon! And then you can fill up as many buckets and pails as you and your friends & family can carry for the most amazing prices at local pick-your-own farms. You can take cute pictures of each other with blue and red tinted lips from all the berries you have been trying to sneak into your mouths while you are walking around.

Spring Fever Cake

I remember my junior high history teacher very distinctly. His name was Mr. Cecil. He was a crotchety old man with a strong appreciation for Tennessee history and high water trousers. He also happened to be my basketball coach during the same years. Which means I had the distinct pleasure of frequently witnessing him jog around the court in his above the knee, white linen shorts. Starting in March, I got to hear the same lecture twice every Friday in both class and basketball practice. It was about the perils of spring fever. How it warps the mind of many a dedicated scholar and/or athlete. One stops focusing on what is truly important and yields to the desire to frolic in warmer weather. I am currently a victim of spring fever. All I can think about is iced tea, bike rides, sunshine, & fresh produce. I have even succumbed to purchasing several pints of over-priced berries. I couldn't wait any longer. I wanted those bright, sweet & tart little bursts of pure happiness, and I wanted them now. I was even reckless enough to forego folding the berries into my standard morning fare of granola or oatmeal and instead piled them on top of cake. That I ate it for breakfast! I wonder what sort of lecture this would merit if Mr. Cecil could see me now.

Vanilla Cake
Makes one 6" cake, approximately 3 inches deep

1 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
2 tsp white vinegar
1/4 cup oil
1 tbl vanilla extract
1 Ener-G egg

Make Ener-G egg. While resting, curdle coconut milk and vinegar in a bowl. Add sugar, oil, and vanilla to bowl. Add flour, baking powder and salt. Mix until just combined. Pour into a lightly oiled & floured 6" cake pan. If your pan is not 3 inches deep, then split the batter and bake in two pans. Bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. If you are baking the cake in two pans, you should reduced the baking time by ten minutes and check every few minutes until done.
Top with a thin layer of vanilla buttercream and layer on fresh fruit. I used blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, and strawberries. After I cut the slices I served them with additional berries and slices of kiwi.


Spring fever has never looked so good. Is everyone else suffering too?! I keep trying to wear clothing that isn't quite seasonally appropriate yet too. I will don a cardigan, leave my coat on the couch, and then shiver running to my car, darting snow flurries. I am just so ready for warm weather and longer days. I feel infinitely better in every season that isn't winter.

Blueberry Cake Donuts

Last month I realized that it's a lot easier for me to deal with things in my life when I am baking. If I miss someone or want to thank someone, my gut reaction is to handle the situation through flour. I couldn't think of a more 'me' way to say goodbye to two of my favorite people except through a box of treats & a note left on our kitchen counter.
I have made this baked blueberry donut recipe from Nikki of the Tolerant Vegan a few times now. I find them to be one of my stand-by donut recipes. I have mentioned before that I prefer my donuts baked; I feel like it allows the flavors to really shine through. You don't wanna lose all that berry goodness in the taste of oil. And since they are really low in fat & contain fresh fruit, it's not terrible if you eat a few for breakfast right?! That's my kind of compromise.


If you aren't into blueberries or are just looking for a standard donut batter, this recipe will definitely work. I tossed a handful of mini donuts in a cinnamon-powdered sugar mixture. It was really great, and a nice cross between a cinnamon sugar donut and a powdered donut. You don't want to toss them too soon before they are going to be eaten, because any humidity or moisture the donuts come in contact with will dissolve the sugar.


I have a really long list of things to bake, but it's hard to get through it when I keep re-making so many recipes I have found. That's not a complaint. It's just a fact. What are your favorite recipes at the moment? Is there a cookbook you are currently swooning over? I have one that I will be sharing with you all soon!

Chocolate Berry Tarts

I made these in a last minute decision on Valentine's Day. It's hard to believe that that was almost a month ago already. Time flies sometimes, even when each day feels so long. I'm starting to slip into a comfortable groove in the restaurant kitchen. I'm less panicked by the fast pace, yelling, and hot pans.
These tarts tasted pretty great. The recipe is an Isa Chandra creation, which you can find on the PPK. The berry flavor was really subtle but not overpowered by the cashews. I used a bag of frozen mixed berries that contained strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries. When I blend that mixture for a smoothie it comes out to be a bright pink, but when cooked on the stove for the tarts it became a very deep purple. The color ended up being one that I didn't find super appealing for the tarts. If I were to repeat, I would probably stick to raspberries or strawberries.
The crust was a deep chocolate flavor, but I would maybe add a little more oil next time. They were a bit too crumbly for me. I also didn't use olive oil as she suggested. I know from experience that I am not a fan of the flavor of olive oil in tart crusts, but you should give it a chance if you haven't before. Also, excuse my messy tart shells. I didn't take my time filling the tart pans, so you can see some rough and uneven edges.


This is another recipe that's really easy to modify depending on your needs. If you have a gluten allergy, you could use an almond meal crust or pour the creme and berries in layers to make a parfait. If you have a nut allergy, you could skip the cashews and make a coconut milk pudding using agar or arrowroot.
I don't recommend making these tarts too far in advance. The morning after I made them the berry reduction seemed to start separating from the cashew cream, which led to some discoloration in the tarts.
I've got a few more tarts I've been thinking about making for a while. It could get wild. Do you have a favorite tart or pie?

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

There's been a lot of changes in my life lately. In the past few weeks I took a leave of absence from graduate school and got offered a job as the head baker at a vegan bakery opening this spring. As the bakery is still being renovated, I am temporarily working as a pastry assistant in Great Sage, the vegan restaurant the group also owns. I've been learning a whole lot about baking on commercial equipment, lifting 30 pound boxes of vegan cream cheese onto top shelves of walk in fridges, and adjusting to the quick pace of a kitchen during brunch service.
I've also been adjusting to working weekends and having off on random weekdays. One of those random weekdays was a quiet, dreary Monday. I could feel myself coming down with a cold. So after filling myself with a fruit smoothie and vitamin C pills I walked across the eerily empty street and bought a pint of blueberries. I went home to catch up on silly TV shows, while I baked these muffins and drank a lot of hot tea.


Blueberry Streusel Muffins
This will make 6 jumbo muffins or a dozen standard size.

1/4 cup Earth Balance
1/3 cup Turbinado
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond milk
2& 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1& 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Streusel topping
1/4 cup Turbinado
2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1& 1/2 tbsp cold Earth Balance

Preheat oven to 350F. Cream Earth Balance and sugar. Add applesauce, vanilla, & milk. In a separate bowl whisk together flour, baking powder salt, and cinnamon. Add half the dry mixture to the wet, mix to incorporate, and repeat. Fold in the blueberries by hands. Fill liners 3/4 full with batter.
Combine all streusel ingredients. Cut the butter into the sugar and flour using a fork and some patience. Sprinkle on top of muffins. Bake for 28-33 minutes or until toothpick comes out cleanly.


These muffins are really, really dense. If you want a light, airy muffin this is not for you. This was a first attempt at this recipe, so I have a few changes that I suggest. Next time I might add even more blueberries, as the flavor was not quite as strong as I would like. I would probably add additional cinnamon. I might even attempt to throw in a handful of oats next time around to add a bit more texture.
If you are going to use frozen blueberries, make sure you keep them in the freeze until you are putting the batter into the muffin liners. Otherwise your berries will start to melt and ooze and turn the batter all purple, unless you are into that kind of thing.


Has anyone else had any wild life changes recently? It is both terrifying and exciting.

Fruit Tarts

I don't think it's difficult to make cute treats, it just takes a little practice. I find it harder to create something elegant, that stands alone, and one desires to look at for a while before they eat it. That's what tarts are for me. Tarts are something that make me stand at bakery counter windows for far too long, just looking all the beautifully molded crusts, thick creams, and shiny decorations that I know aren't vegan. Vegan Pie in the Sky's recent release has had my daydreaming for a while now. This is a variation on the Strawberry Kiwi Crème Tart. It uses the shortbread pie crust, and the cashew crème from the recipe with additional fruits on top. My friend and I doubled the recipe, and used six 4" & three 3" tart pans with removable bottoms. If you have tart pans with removable bottoms, it makes cleanly removing the tart quite a bit easier.


The shortbread crust take a little love. Just have patience. Eventually all the butter will mix into the dough, but it might make the process a bit quicker to use a pastry cutter. We tried filling the pans in a few ways. The first technique we tried was rolling out the dough. This dough is not suitable for that, it will just rip.
What we found worked the best was making a ball of dough and firmly squishing it against the round bottom of the pan until it was smooth and thin. Then trim the excess from the bottom, and place it inside the other portion of the pan. Make a long rope of dough, and wind it inside the tart pan. Cut where needed, and firmly push the dough in. Make sure that the two doughs are sealed together, the sides are thin, and then trim the excess dough off the top of the pan.
There was not room in my freezer for all the pans, so we froze a few and refrigerated a few. We also used pie weights on a few, and no weights on most. There really wasn't much notable difference between the crusts. The crusts with pie weights had a few divets where the weights had rested during baking, but they all ended up to be a similar thickness.


Making the crème for these takes a little forethought. If you don't have a vitamix or other really powerful blender, you are going to want to soak the cashews for at least 8 hours or overnight. Because I have a vitamix, we got away with only soaking them for 2-3 hours and blending for a long while. We followed the recipe closely, only adding the seeds of two scraped vanilla beans rather than extract. I also want to note that if you don't have agar powder, you could probably get away with it in this recipe by just adding less liquid. However, in several of Vegan Pie in the Sky's recipes, the agar powder is necessary. And agar flakes are NOT interchangeable.


We used a mixture of strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, kiwi, and sliced almonds on the tart. After adding the fruit, we brushed on a mixture of apple jelly thinned with water. This helps seal the fruit to keep it fresher and adds a really beautiful shine. You could probably get away with a different jelly if that's all you have in your fridge, but apricot and apple will add the least amount of color to your tart. Let the tarts sit for a few hours for them to firm up. There's a little bit of a waiting game in waiting long enough for them to be firm and waiting too long, to where the fruit starts to look not as lovely. These pictures were taken the morning after making the tarts, and you can probably see that the sliced fruits aren't quite at their peak any longer.
If you wanted to make this tart gluten free, I recommend using an almond meal crust. The flavors really complement each other. We also had additional crème left over that I used to make a parfait with several layers of fruit. That could be a really elegant dessert in a glass if you don't want to mess with a crust.

Tarts can be really simple or a labor of love, but I think are worth the wait. Is there another dessert that stops you in your tracks when you see it?

*These are going to be posted at Sweets for a Saturday. There aren't many other vegan treats, but a lot of ideas for things to veganize!