Basic Pie Crust

This is a staple pie crust you can use for sweet pies or savory meals like veggie pot pie or shepard's pie. Use whole wheat pastry flour (or 1/2 whole wheat pastry, 1/2 white flour) for a healthier touch, but all white flour is best for desserts. This recipe makes TWO pie crusts (or one crust and enough dough to cover the top of the pie) - halve the recipe or put half the dough in the freezer for later if you only want one pie or do not want to cover your pie with a top crust.

Pie Crust:

• 1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
• 1 teaspoon Earth Balance vegan butter
• 3/4 cup boiling water
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 to 3 1/2 cups flour (brown rice flour is good if you'd like a gluten free crust)

Mix shortening with butter and boiling water until creamy. Add baking powder and salt, then gradually mix in the flour. Separate into two equal balls, trying not to knead too much. Chill 20-40 minutes before rolling out, or freeze for later.

Kentucky Pecan, Bourbon, and Chocolate Pie

We wanted to make the perfect pie inspired by the official Kentucky Derby Pie (which I understand to be heavily copyrighted) but obviously our version would be "veganized" and modified. This pie is so good! It took a lot of experimentation to get it just right. However, I've never had real Derby Pie so I don't have a basis of comparison. But my Kentuckian here loves it! Sad story - I made it last year for my dad for Father's Day, and pulled up to his house, pulled it out of the car, and immediately dropped it in his driveway. The glass pan shattered into a million pieces. I tried to salvage some, but there were shards of glass in it. SAD DAY. I admit that I cried. But I always think of that story when I make this pie...

Ingredients:

• unbaked pie crust (this is my Basic Pie Crust recipe)
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 3 to 4 tablespoons flour
• Egg replacer equivalent of 3 eggs (I use Bob's Red Mill or Ener-G generally)
• 1/2 cup Earth Balance vegan butter, softened
• 3 tablespoons bourbon (a little goes a long way! add more to taste... but go slowly)
• 3/4 cup pecans, chopped in a food processor (but not too finely ground)
• 1/2 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup chocolate chips (vegan)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix everything but the chocolate chips until creamy. Add more flour if necessary until you get the right consistency (not too runny, but kind of more of a batter than a dough). Spread the chocolate chips out on the bottom of the unbaked pie crust, then pour the pie mixture over the top. Bake for 45-60 minutes, checking often. It should rise a little bit but you'll mostly know it's done when the crust starts to get lightly browned.

Enjoy! Serve with vegan whipped cream or soy ice cream if you'd like!