Life is moving so fast.
Summer draws to a close. Although I don’t work at the local university (except for one of my consulting gigs), parts of my schedule are dictated by the school year. That’s what happens when returning students increase your town population several-fold.
Ground cherries, ready to be devoured.
I’ve been working on several projects related to the start of the school year, including a series of radio segments. Toss in some school menus, a presentation or two, and a few special events, and you’ve got a packed summer-to-fall transition.
That’s why I’m grateful to spend a leisurely half-hour in the kitchen preparing something with the most recent ground cherry harvest. After the last savory recipe, I wanted to take advantage of the ground cherry’s ability to fill any sweet dessert. The result: A mouth-watering ground cherry pudding pie.
Why pudding? Because the soft almond crust melts in your mouth like pudding. You can use almond flour; I used leftover almond meal from making almond milk.
Serve this pie on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. The ground cherries release their juices and combine with brown sugar to make a unique syrup. I’ve never tasted anything quite like it. The crust is rich, so start with a small portion.
After baking:
Ground Cherry Pudding Pie
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Keywords: bake dessert vegan almonds ground cherry
Ingredients
Sweet Almond Crust
- 1 cup almond flour or almond meal from making almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Ground Cherry Filling
- 3 cups ground cherries, husked and washed
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, ground
- 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Combine crust ingredients. Lightly coat an 8-inch pie pan with coconut oil. Press almond mixture into pan until bottom and sides are evenly coated.
Combine ground cherries, brown sugar and nutmeg in a medium saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Sprinkle cornstarch evenly over mixture and mix. Cook an additional 5 minutes or until ground cherries are softened and syrupy. Pour filling into pie crust and bake for 15 minutes. Serve warm or cold.
P.S. Bonus pics! The ethereal lace of a mature ground cherry:
Joanne says
August 22, 2013 at 7:13 amWe definitely don’t get ground cherries here! So sad. Now I have a serious yearning to try them!
dixya| food, pleasure, and health says
August 22, 2013 at 1:59 pmi have never seen them before.
Monet says
August 22, 2013 at 11:03 pmThis is just stunning! A pie I’ve never seen before…but one I certainly want to taste! We live right next door to an elementary school, so although we’re no longer students (and Lucy is still too young), I feel the bustle of the new school year!
veganmiam.com says
August 23, 2013 at 2:51 amWow, these ground cherries look so gorgeous in the first photo. I haven’t tried the ground cherries before, but I need to try them! Where are they available at? I can’t believe summer is nearly over. I love your sweet almond crust recipe, looks so yummy. What an awesome vegan dessert! And gorgeous bonus pictures, too, loved the ethereal lace….amazing!
Ameena says
August 23, 2013 at 9:09 pmRadio segments? How exciting. I can’t imagine myself on the radio…I’m not that eloquent. 🙂
Looks delicious! I’ve never heard of these types of cherries before.
Have a great weekend Jessie!
Andrea@WellnessNotes says
August 24, 2013 at 7:50 pmLove the pics of the ground cherries. The pie sounds wonderful!
Sounds like you are working on lots of interesting projects!
Cat says
August 17, 2015 at 12:40 pmI hear that ground cherries are making a comeback. If you can find a farmers’ market where they sell organic plant starts, you can often find ground cherry plants ready for your garden. They are perennial – and are quite productive! Be prepared! You can also buy seeds for ground cherries from Bakers Seeds (catalog/online).
Jessie says
August 17, 2015 at 5:39 pmThanks, Cat! We’re growing some this year because I can’t do without them 🙂 We actually got the seeds from Bakers!