GF Adventures with Teff, part 3… Slice of Pi!

Gluten Free Pear Cranberry Rustic Tart (a.k.a “pie”) made with Teff Flour

Happy “Pi” Day!  … or “Happy 3.14159265 Day!” as one member of our family says it.  I thought I would share a slice of pie with you as I continue to experiment with Teff flour.  I used a traditional gluten free pie crust and substituted the gluten free flour it called for with a blend of Teff and Tapioca Starch flour.  Since I love to make rustic tarts (a.k.a “pie without a pie plate”), I decided to try it with this pie crust.  The result was fabulous!  You can easily press the pie crust dough into a traditional pie plate and use a filling you prefer.  Enjoy a slice of Pi today!

Rustic Pear Cranberry Tart

Ingredients:

• 1 cup Teff flour
• 1/4 cup Tapioca Starch flour
• 1/2 tsp xanthan gum
• ¼ tsp salt
• 4 Tbls cold palm shortening, cut into small pieces
• 2 Tbls cold coconut oil
• 5-7 Tbls ice cold water mixed with 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 4-5 ripe pears, peeled and sliced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar or regular sugar
• 1 Tbls Tapioca Starch flour
• coconut milk

Method:

1. In a bowl combine 1 cup Teff flour and 1/4 cup Tapioca Starch, xanthan gum, and salt.
2. Cut in your cold shortening and coconut oil to form crumbs the size of small peas.
3. Add water by 1 Tbls increments and mix with a fork until dough begins to form.
4. Place in center of saran wrap and wrap up, pressing to create a disk, refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight.
5. Roll out on parchment paper sprinkled with extra Teff flour to a round that is about 1/8-1/4″ in thickness.  Place the parchment paper with the crust on it to a baking sheet.  Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.
6. Prepare your filling in a large bowl by tossing the pears and cranberries with the coconut sugar and 1 Tbls of Tapioca.
7. Place filling in center of rolled out pie crust and form edges up and over the filling, covering all but the very center of the pie.  This is the rustic part… it is okay if it is not perfect!
8. Brush the crust with coconut milk or water and sprinkle with extra coconut sugar or coconut flakes.
9. Bake at 400 degrees for about 45 minutes or until the filling bubbles and the edges of the crust begin to brown.
10. Remove from oven and cool completely before slicing.