Apple Rose Pie
I just got back from the most wonderful trip with girlfriends. There is something very restorative about being with women who you've known forever. You can wear athleisure all day, or get dressed up, but only because YOU WANT to. You can stay at home and do masks or hit up the town and stay out until closing time. You can eat a bagel or a green juice for breakfast and aint no one going to judge either way.
I flew to Santa Barbara early to be with my friend Annie. She and I ate tacos on the beach, hiked on the bluffs, and watched surfers, dolphins, seals, and dogs all interact in the beautiful ocean. Then, she and I headed up the coast to meet Caitlin and Aislinn in Pacific Grove. We ate our way through Monterey's best Mexican and New American and had the cutest little Air BnB. We ran 13.1 miles along coastal California with 7,000 of our closest friends and lived to tell the tale.
Anyway, I came home feeling exhausted, but in a very fulfilled way. I am feeling very thankful to have the three of them in my life. I've been noodling on this pie for a while. I have wanted to make a paleo apple pie, and there are already a lot of great recipes out there. I didn't want to step on anyone's paleo toes, and I wanted to create something that was somehow different. Apple pie is pretty easy to make paleo because apples go really well with maple and dark sugars. So how oh how could I make it different? I've also been thinking a lot about my sweet friend Cate who was diagnosed with a TON of food intolerances recently. She's struggling with most nuts (almonds and almond flour are out) and with any form of dairy.
Enter the Rose. Enter the pecan and date crust. Enter the Sticky Toffee Sauce. WHHHHHHHHHATTTT (Kathy Lee and Hoda voice). This pie has it all. It's tart and tangy from the apples. It's sticky and crunchy from the crust and the caramel. It's perfect for your Thanksgiving Table, or for any other Fall celebrations you have coming up. It only has 1 cup of coconut sugar in the whole recipe, so you'll feel great even if you eat an extra slice.
So, Cait, Annie and Aislinn this recipe is dedicated to you guys, even though you have iron stomachs and can eat anything. Catesy, this recipe is also dedicated to you--I hope you have the happiest Thanksgiving, even though you're navigating new challenges food and otherwise.
What You'll Need:
1.5 cups pecans
9-10 dates
4-5 Honeycrisp Apples
1 TBSP lemon juice
2 TBSP coconut oil
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup coconut sugar
1 can full-fat coconut milk
1 tsp vanilla
What I Did:
Cut the apples in half, and remove the core. Slice apples to 1/4 inch thick. Place the apples in a bowl and add the lemon juice and cinnamon. Let the apples soak for about 30 minutes.
While apples are soaking, make the crust. In a food processor add dates and pecans. Blend until the dough will stick together when pressed. In a greased pie-tin, scoop in the date and nut mix, and press down to form a pie shape. Prick 3-4 times with a fork.
The apples will soften a bit in the lemon juice, but if they don't soften enough, throw them in the microwave for a few seconds (GASP SHE SAID MICROWAVE). Yeah whatever, I did it. It makes the apples bend more easily and I think I'll be okay.
Once the apples are a bit soft, begin to layer them around the edge of the pie tin so they start to look like a rose. When you get to the center, and you get a small piece, roll it up very tightly to form a rose bud. Place the pie in a 375 degree oven for 15 minutes.
Then, in a saucepan, combine the coconut sugar, vanilla and coconut milk. Mix together and bring to a boil. Then reduce the heat, and allow to continue to simmer. Stir frequently and scrape the bottom of the pan until the caramel begins to reduce--this will take about 20 minutes.
Once the pie is out of the oven and the caramel has reduced, pour the hot caramel on top of the apples.
Allow to fully cool and then slice and enjoy! Top with additional coconut cream or coconut ice cream!