Spiced, nutty apple and date pie
Buy the best apples for this pie as the ingredients are not cooked. It has an amazing nutty texture with the crust and topping using a good variety of different nuts; macadamia, walnuts, cashews and/or pecans. A vegan’s delight!
INGREDIENTS For the base:
200g macadamia or cashew nuts 150g pecans or walnuts 100g dates Large pinch of sea salt
For the filling:
150g dried apples, roughly chopped 100ml apple juice 4 apples — cored 1 tbsp lemon juice 200g dates, soaked in boiling water for 5 minutes and then drained 1 tsp cinnamon Large pinch of nutmeg 1 tsp vanilla extract 1 tbsp maple syrup Small pinch of sea salt
For the topping:
90g pecans or walnuts, finely chopped 100g dates, finely chopped — about 4 large dates ½ tsp vanilla extract Large pinch of ground cinnamon
Garnish:
1 apple – thinly sliced with skin on — dip into lemon juice
METHOD
For the filling: first soak the dried apples in the apple juice for an hour or place in a dish covered with cling film, microwave on high for 3 minutes. Put to one side
To make the base, pulse all the ingredients in a blender until a rough, sticky crumble has formed.
Line a 23cm loose based cake tin with baking parchment and press the base on top. Refrigerate for 1 hour to firm up.
Drain the dried apples, which should now be soft and plump.
Put the fresh apples, dried apples, lemon juice, dates, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, maple syrup and salt into a blender and pulse until well combined.
Spoon onto the pie base and smooth out.
To make the topping, mix together the pecans, dates and vanilla in a bowl and spread over the top of the pie to form a crust. Sprinkle with the cinnamon.
Cover and place in the fridge for an hour to chill.
Remove from the fridge at least an hour before serving to bring to room temperature.
Serve garnished with the Everyone’s eating raw pies thin slices of apple on top of the cake.