Apricot Pie

 

 We had our first crop of delicious apricots grown right in our own yard...last year. Yes, we had so many apricots that I threw them into freezer bags and popped them right into a deep freeze, never to think about them again until today. 
Just recently while on a trip in Croatia, I had ventured into an open air coffee shop in Dubrovnik for a coffee. I was so hungry, I decided that I'd have to order a croissant.  To my delight, the first bite sent shivers down my spine, so much that it was almost life changing!  It was heavenly, and had just enough sweet yet sour apricot that I thought of nothing much that day other than that amazing croissant!  I didn't even realize there were apricot croissant! I honestly don't know what it was about it that sparked something inside me except that it was freshly made. When I got home from my trip, I bought some vegan croissant dough and thawed some apricots immediately.  (Some day I'll try and make my own croissant dough but today wasn't the day. In fact, today, I even had a frozen pie crust in the freezer. My lucky day!)   After I made the apricot mixture for my croissants, I had so much extra and still had apricots that I dug out the frozen pie crust and made a super quick and easy pie.  It was so good that three of us ate it all, in about a two hour time frame!  Yes, it was that good and oh that delicious. 
I have no shame in admitting it either.  I ate, and ate and ate...
and then I ate some more!

Apricot Pie
~serves 3-10 ( If you love it as much as I did, make another pie for guests!)
 (This pie is best with frozen apricots or very ripe apricots too.)

4 cups Apricots, pitted and halved and thawed if frozen
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp water
1/2 cup sugar
pinch of cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 pie crusts
sugar for sprinkling

Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a food processor, liquefy 1 1/2 cups of apricots.  Put into a pot on stove and cook over medium heat for 2 minutes.  Add sugar and cinnamon.  Stir until mixed.  Put cornstarch into a little bowl, add the 1/2 tsp water and stir well until combined.  Add cornstarch mixture to the apricot mixture and turn heat up to med/ high heat while stirring.  Stir until the mixture starts to thicken (about 2 minutes) and remove from heat. Stir in vanilla and pour half of the thickened mixture into pie crust.  Add the halved apricots and pour the rest of the thickened  mixture over the halves. 

 

Add the top crust and bake for about 40-45 minutes until bubbly and nice and browned.  Remove pie, sprinkle top with a light layer of sugar and broil for a few minutes until it starts to caramelize. (Watch this step, don't leave the pie.  Keep the door cracked open slightly and turn if necessary.) If you have a torch, you can do it that way instead of broiling.  Cool pie on counter for about 35 minutes to an hour.  It should still be slightly warm to serve.

 

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*This recipe and the others on my site are all my creations, made by me, in my home and photographed by me.  Please make them, enjoy them and share them but when you do, please give credit where credit is due.  My Delicious Vegan Diary Thanks You! And please, let me know how you like it.

Blessings~

My trip to Dubrovnik, Croatia

 

Some of the best tasting fruit from markets on the Dalmatian Coast in Croatia

 

Tomato Lime Bruschetta

I just returned from Croatia and Italy.  Wow, what an amazing trip I was able to take with my BFF.  She convinced me that if I bought my flight, she'd pay for hotels and we'd travel, experience the amazing foods and see some amazing historical sites.  I'm still in disbelief that I went and that it wasn't just a dream. 
While driving around Europe, we decided to head to Venezia (Venice, Italy) and see the sights.  Since I'm Italian, Italy was like a little kid finding her birth parent for the first time.  I was just speechless! The sights, the feeling, the aromas and the tastes!  One super spectacular but easy lunch we had was bruschetta.  It was nice, light and flavorful.  It had beautiful basil and fabulous olive oil. It was served on a simple piece of toast cut into triangles, nothing glamorous but yet so delightful. It was also served with a few carrot shavings for color. 
So then on my flight home from Europe, I had a pasta with marinara and lime.  I was intrigued.  I have never put lime in my marinara and wouldn't have dreamed of it.  Perhaps because this flight was a flight out of Germany, it's a common thing there but I really don't know.  But I tried it and really liked it. Then it came to me...
I decided to merge two of the meals I had in Germany and Italy and make a Tomato Lime Bruschetta.  And guess what?
It worked!

Tomato Lime Bruschetta
Plain toast or toasted french baguette slices
3 Roma tomatoes and a yellow tomato (or your favorite selection) diced small, draining as much of the seeds and liquid as possible.
2-3 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp zest of lime (chopped super fine)
Juice from half of a lime
1/4 tsp basil
1/4 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and put a generous amount on toast. Eat. Dream of Italy.  It's that easy.

 Bucket list~ Venice..I finally made it there.