A Year of Gluten and Dairy Free Pies

The great pie experiment is over! I made a gluten and dairy free pie, featuring a different locally sourced ingredient, every month of 2014. I learned a few things. I really love Joy the Baker's gluten free pie crust- I made it dairy free by subbing coconut milk mixed with a squeeze of lemon for the buttermilk, but no changes otherwise. It was my go-to crust this year. Adding an egg to a gluten free pie crust makes it so so much nicer to work with. I learned that it's hard to make a locally-sourced fruit pie in fall in central Texas. The apples and pears all seem to be gone well before it gets cold here. I learned that my family is obliging and wonderful. They ate the failures (weird-o grapefruit pie, liquefied pumpkin, crazy tart blackberry, and unpeeled persimmon) as happily as the successes. I learned that strawberry pie is amazing- I have no idea why you don't see it more often. The strawberry pie and peach pies were my easy favorites. So here they are! A year of pies!

January. Meyer Lemon Meringue Pie

February. Grapefruit Pie

March. Bacon and Spinach Quiche with Latke Crust

April. Strawberry Ginger Pie

May. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

June. Blackberry Crostata with Cornmeal Crust

July. Streusel-Topped Peach Pie

August. Prickly Pear "Cheese"cake

September. Pumpkin Cream Pie

October. Persimmon and Cranberry Pie

November. Pecan Pie

December. Carrot Cake Oatmeal Cream Pie