All-American Apple Pie

Apple pie is probably one of the icons of America. :-) And it's also my dad's all time favorite dessert (well, that and a good ol' Dairy Queen Blizzard). Since the DQ Blizzard is totally out of the question on the candida diet, that leaves the more probable option of the two. Since tomorrow is Independence Day, you might want to try this one out!

RECIPE NOTES: This is a limit food. Do not eat this all the time. :-) I will admit that when I made this I cheated and used regular butter. However, you can use ghee or coconut oil (ghee has a more savory flavor so since this is a dessert you might want to try the coconut oil).

Xanthan Gum is a candida-safe elasticizer. Because you'll be using a gluten-free flour, it will tend to want to crumble. Xanthan Gum is used to help hold it together. 

Stevia has a strong aftertaste, so use less and then add more if needed.

Ingredients:
Filling
4 cups or more sliced Granny Smith apples
2 Tbsp. to scant ¼ cup powdered stevia
½ tsp. xanthan gum
¼ tsp. salt
Juice of ½ a lemon (or 2-3 Tbsp.)
Cinnamon, to taste

Crust
¼ cup cool water
2 cups buckwheat flour
1 tsp. xanthan gum
1 cup coconut oil or ghee
¼ tsp. salt

Instructions:
Preheat oven to 450°F. Combine stevia, xanthan gum and salt in a small bowl. Peel and slice apples, tossing as you go with a spoonful of the stevia mixture and a squeeze of lemon juice, until you have used it all. Add cinnamon.

For the crust, remove 1/3 cup flour from the 2 cups and mix the 1/3 cup in a bowl with the ¼ cup cool water, until it forms a paste. In a large bowl, cut the coconut oil (or ghee) into the remaining flour and salt with a pastry blender or fork. Mixture should be crumbly. Mix in xanthan gum. Add the paste to the flour/oil mixture and stir using the back of a fork (or a dough hook on a kitchen mixer) until dough forms a ball.

Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Heavily flour rolling surface and rolling pin. Roll out bottom crust to 1/8 inch thick; place in a 9-inch pie plate (if you find that your crust is crumbling, you can adjust the amount of xanthan gum and/or add a touch of water until it sticks together). Fill with apple filling. Roll out top crust, place on top and crimp edge with a fork. Pierce the top of the pie a dozen times.

Bake at 450°F for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to 350° and bake another 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting.

As you see, I made my top crust a lattice crust. Either way works!