Helen Au - Cozy Vegan Pies and Tarts

HELEN AU , Creator of With Helen

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To my younger self, you are worthy the moment you were born.
Everything you dream of can come true.

As soon as I learned to walk, I followed my mom into the kitchen to watch her cook. I would stand there on my pink plastic stool until I was tall enough to watch without it. My mom had learned all her cooking from my grandmother. She was the only daughter who truly enjoyed cooking, and to this day, she cooks the flavors of my grandmothers home. I love learning where dishes come from and especially how ingredients are used in different cultures. The feeling of flour on my hands of kneading dough of waiting for the ingredients to come together and rise I dont have the words.

I came from a family of chefs, with grandparents from Vietnam who owned restaurants. It is not a surprise that my dad is also a chef. I would say that even though she did not work as a chef, my moms cooking and baking skills are way better than my dads. And thats one of the reasons why I risked getting yelled at for bothering her while she cooked or baked. The five-year-old Helen just wanted to start helping her mom in the kitchen and be able to prepare delicious meals for everyone. There is nothing more satisfying than seeing someone you care for enjoying a bite of a warm cookie or slice of pie you just baked and telling you how delicious it is.

Even though I love cooking and baking with my whole heart, there was a period in my life when I didnt have a good relationship with food. In middle school, I started comparing myself to all the girls in my class and on social media. I wanted to fit in and be just like them. As a result, I started to gradually cut out foods that were considered bad for me by societyeven foods my mom prepared. By the time I was fourteen years old, a sophomore in high school, I had developed anorexia. During that challenging time, my relationship with my parents, especially my mom, deteriorated as we often got into fights and no longer had the connection over food that bonded us before.

It was one of the lowest times of my life, and everything felt like it was falling apart. It wasnt until I was sitting in the emergency room with my father and sister on either side of me, with the doctors begging me to stay in the hospital and receive help, that everything changed. I still remember seeing my dad cry for the first time and hearing the fear in my moms voice over the phone when I told her I would remain in the hospital to recover. At that moment, I promised myself that I would do nothing that did not bring me happiness. Life is too short and there is too much in this life of ours to celebrate. Most importantly, I learned to love myself fully for who I am.

I wouldnt normally write about this time in my life in a book that celebrates the love of baking, but I do want to let you know how it relates to pies and tarts.

During my recovery journey at the hospital, my mom was not allowed to bring me homemade food, per hospital policy. And because the hospital wasnt close to my home, I only saw my parents once or twice a week. So oftentimes, I was alone.

Most of the hospital food was foreign to me. However, one night, after finishing dinner, I found myself looking forward to dessert. I opened the cover of the dessert plate and was surprised to see that it was a slice of blueberry pie. I couldnt even remember the last time I had eaten a piece of pie, as it was one of the many foods I didnt allow myself to have. I took a small bite and fell in love with it. It was not overly sweet, and (maybe because it was a pie), it felt a little bit like home. I finished the whole slice and felt joy in eating dessert for the first time in a very, very long time.

Since that moment, all forms of pies, especially blueberry, hold a special place in my heart, and I will never forget the feeling that slice of pie brought to my soul. It felt like someone bringing a piece of their home to me. I want to do the same for youmaking you feel at home here no matter where you are in this world. I dont want anyone to feel alone and unworthy of love like I did at that time. You being here is a gift to the world.

* * *

I became vegan just over two years ago, long after I had recovered and after watching many videos and documentaries about how poorly animals are treated. I never turned back. During this time, I learned that being vegan is not just about the animals and the environment for me, but also a way of looking at life and treating Mother Earth with love and care. It is about learning to love life and everything nature has to offer and to nurture our body and soul the best way we can. It is about living life with intention, and appreciating and loving all the small moments we have every day, whether you are alone or with people you care about.

At the end of the day, being vegan is only a label. What is most important is eating and doing whatever it is that is best for you and makes you light up. You do not need to label yourself vegan to enjoy a slice of delicious, fudgy and melt-in-your-mouth Dreamy Brownie Pie () you might have guessed by now that this is my favorite chapter!

Whatever your soul is calling for in this cookbook, enjoy it fully and happily. Everyone is welcome here, and I also included gluten-free crusts options too, in case you or your loved ones adhere to a gluten-free diet.

Every single one of the recipes in this cookbook is made with love, from my tiny kitchen to yours. I am not a professional baker, and you do not need to be one either in order to make a heartwarming pie or tart for you, your family and friends to enjoy. Have lots of fun with these recipes, and know that I will be thinking of you. From my kitchen to yours, please enjoy these vegan pie and tart recipes.

With all my love,

One of the reasons I was reluctant to go vegan at first was because of sweets. I couldnt possibly imagine how I could make pastries and buttery, flaky crusts without the use of eggs and other dairy products. However, I was completely wrong. There are so many plant-based products nowadays that not only make creating vegan pastries easy, but also taste the same or (dare I say it) even better than the original, non-vegan version.

This chapter introduces several vegan pie and tart crust recipes that are not difficult to make. Ive included gluten-free and non-baked crust options as well. To avoid recipe fails, read over all the ingredients and instructions for the recipe you are interested in making prior to baking. And even though I list specific crust recipes to use for recipes in the other chapters in this book, feel free to substitute them for any of these crusts! Most of the pie recipes only require one batch of the vegan pie crust, but if you want a double or lattice crust, simply double the recipe and be as creative as you want with the top crust. The majority of the crusts here are perfect for both sweet and savory pies and tarts! So, lets have some fun in the kitchen!