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Cyan
Oct 3rd, 2004, 12:30 AM
I'm planning to bake an apple pie tomorrow and come from a long line of pie-crust-from-scratch purists. Can anyone tell me if Crisco is vegan? If not, can anyone suggest a good substitute that 1) doesn't burn easily and 2) doesn't have a strong chemical flavor (like Buttery Sticks does, for instance)?

Your help would be much appreciated!!!

By the way--the alternative needn't be healthy. I just want it to taste really, really good. ;)

Thanks, guys!
Cyan

Andie
Oct 4th, 2004, 06:10 PM
don't know about crisco being vegan but coconut oil should work. It firms up like crisco at room temperature

Artichoke47
Oct 4th, 2004, 06:40 PM
From Great Good Desserts Naturally by Fran Costigan:

Original Foolproof Flaky Pie Dough


Dough for one 9-inch pie


3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c. unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon powder
1/4 c. very cold canola oil (put the jar in the freezer for 30 min.)
1 tsp. lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
1/4 to 1/3 c. ice water


1. Sift the flours, salt, and cinnamon into a medium bowl. Stir with a wire whisk.

2. Drizzle the oil over the four, tossing and mixing with a rubber spatula until oil is coated with flour. Do not break up the clumps that form; they are equivalent to the solid shortening in conventional piecrust and produce a flaky crust. Mix the lemon juice or vinegar into 1/4 c. ice water and gently stir the liquid into the flour. Slowly add enough water to form a rough dough. Transfer the dough to a large piece of plastic wrap and enclose the dough. Press into a flat disk, round or oval, depending on the recipe. Refrigerate for 30 min. or up to 4 hours.

3. Roll the dough. Unwrap the chilled dough and place between 2 large pieces of parchment paper. Roll from the center out; turn 45 degrees and repeat. After one full turn, carefully release the top paper, turn the dough over, release the paper, and repeate until the dough is even and thin (1/8- to 1/4-inch thick), proper shape and size. If dough softened or shrinks back, chill it.

4. If you are making freeform, galette, or rustic pie, leave the rolled dough in the parchment paper, cover with pastic wrap, and refrigerator for 30 min. up to 4 hours. To fit the dough into a pie plate, carefully remove the top piece of parchment. Slip your hand underneath the parchment, lift, and center it over the pie plate. Turn the parchment over and use it as a carrier to ease the dough in. Cover the surface of the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 30 min. before filling and baking.

Cyan
Oct 5th, 2004, 04:29 PM
thanks for the recipe, artichoke! :) i'll try it next time.
-cyan

Andie
Oct 5th, 2004, 04:44 PM
Cyan,
Sounds like you enjoy fall baking projects. I do too. I ate way too much gingerbread yesterday!!! I like the cat symbol on your post. Very autumnal.

Artichoke47
Oct 5th, 2004, 04:45 PM
You're welcome! That ones looks kind of like it has a lot of steps, huh?

Artichoke47
Oct 5th, 2004, 04:51 PM
Nut Pie Pastry from Lorna Sass's Complete Vegetarian Kitchen

Makes crust for one 9-inch pie


3/4 c. whole wheat pastry flour
3/4 c. old-fashioned oatmeal (rolled oats)
1/2 c. finely chopped toasted almonds, walnuts, pecans, or sunflower seeds
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon or 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
Pinch sea salt
1/4 c. canola oil
3 to 4 T. maple syrup
1 to 2 T. water (optional)
Oil for preparing pan

1. In a bowl, blend the flour, oatmeal, nuts, cinnamon, and salt.

2. In a liquid measuring cup, whisk together the oil and syrup thoroughly.

3. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour in the liquid. Stir with a fork to form a coarse dough, adding water if the mixture seems dry. Do not overmix.

4. Flour your hands and press the dough thinkly into the bottom and sides of an oiled 9-inch pie plate. You will have to press firmly to make the dough spread to cover all surfaces. Patch any torn or thin spots with dough from the edges and reflour your hands as needed.

5. Proceed as directed in individual recipes.

cowpie
Oct 7th, 2004, 12:01 AM
Crisco is vegan,cyan. It's loaded with hydrogenated fat, though. Spectrum puts out a non-hydrogenated shortening (expensive). I use it all the time in pie crusts, and they come out great. You said it didn't have to be healthy, though, so you can use Crisco.....

Cyan
Oct 8th, 2004, 02:14 AM
Andie, I love to bake. Also, looks like we're hosting Thanksgiving this year. Since this is my first Thanksgiving as a vegan (and I have an adventurous family :D ), I have an excuse to "audition" recipes for the holiday. My sweet potato pie was awesome, btw. Andie--can you post yr gingerbread recipe? I've been looking for a good one for years.

Artichoke--another yummy-sounding crust. I hope I have a chance to try these!

Cowpie (great handle, btw)--thanks for the update on Crisco. I finally broke down and e-mailed Smuckers (they own Crisco), and they replied...

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate your interest in our products. In response to your question, there are no animal products in Crisco. The mono and diglycerides are vegetable based. Best regards, Tanya Sigler, Consumer Relations Representative..."

Anyway, I wanted to use it b/c it's what we traditionally use in my family (I can be kinda traditional despite being a vegan). I know it's waaaaay unhealthy, but makes a very flaky crust, and it's not for every day, y'know?

mysh
Oct 8th, 2004, 01:15 PM
Hmmm.. I wonder what other products use vegetable based mono- and di-glycerides... I wish they would label it as such. Are Twizzlers ok, for example? And the m-&d-gs used as emulsifier in doughs, are they normally vegetable sourced?

uww27225
Oct 8th, 2004, 01:37 PM
I wonder the same thing mysh. I was under the impression that mono- and di-glycerides were animal products. Though now that I check Wanda's handy website (http://www.veganpeace.com) I see that it can be either. I wish there was some way of knowing if it's animal derived our not. :(

mysh
Oct 8th, 2004, 01:47 PM
Other multi-source ingredients are normally clearly labeled if they are not the result of murder, e.g. soy lecithin. There are others that simply claim "vegetable <whatever>", which is great to see, too. I would love better labelling laws in the US, particularly to force manufacturers what the "natural flavourings" are that they use!

cowpie
Oct 8th, 2004, 07:46 PM
Andie, I love to bake. Also, looks like we're hosting Thanksgiving this year. Since this is my first Thanksgiving as a vegan (and I have an adventurous family :D ), I have an excuse to "audition" recipes for the holiday. My sweet potato pie was awesome, btw. Andie--can you post yr gingerbread recipe? I've been looking for a good one for years.

Artichoke--another yummy-sounding crust. I hope I have a chance to try these!

Cowpie (great handle, btw)--thanks for the update on Crisco. I finally broke down and e-mailed Smuckers (they own Crisco), and they replied...

"Thank you for taking the time to contact us. We appreciate your interest in our products. In response to your question, there are no animal products in Crisco. The mono and diglycerides are vegetable based. Best regards, Tanya Sigler, Consumer Relations Representative..."

Anyway, I wanted to use it b/c it's what we traditionally use in my family (I can be kinda traditional despite being a vegan). I know it's waaaaay unhealthy, but makes a very flaky crust, and it's not for every day, y'know?
Crisco does make good pie crusts, cyan, and like you said, it isn't for every day. Thanks....the handle, cowpie, said it all for me...(lol)