I can't tell you how much I miss the apple pies of my childhood, the ones my mother used to make.

Alas, they use an excellent but wheat-infested, gluten-contaminated crust.

I've been experimenting with gluten-free pie crusts lately, with some success.

I have not actually formulated a formal recipe yet, but when do, I will post it in the recipe section.

The two types of gluten-free pie crusts I've been working on are:

• Nut crust
• Quinoa flour crust

Since you may want something to go on before I get the recipes together, I will describe both types of crust.

When I do have the recipes together, I will post the links to them at the bottom of this article.

Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free Nut Pie Crust

The basics for this one is just crushed nuts, pressed into a pie pan.

I've been using about 2 cups of assorted nuts and seeds for a 9" pie pan. I put the nuts in a blender and run it until they become a paste.

This is a very tough job for a blender, and your average blender may not be up to this task. I recommend a food processor (I don't have one so I use the blender).

Almonds become a powder rather than a paste. I suggest that your nut mixture is less than half the total volume of nuts.

When the nuts are processed into a paste, press it into the bottom of the pie pan and up the sides, using your fingers.

Put the pie into the oven at 375F for 15 minutes.

Remove, and add the pie filling.

Bake for another 30 to 60 minutes, depending on the filling and the temperature. I prefer a longer bake at a lower temperature, for example one hour at 300F.

Gluten-Free, Wheat-Free Nut-Free Quinoa Pie Crust

This is supposed to be a faster, easier way to make a pie than the nut crust. I've only tried this once, and it was more troublesome. I think I can figure out a better way of doing it though.

This is also a good approach if you are allergic to nuts. Also, quinoa is a very healthy grain (as are nuts, for most people).

The basics are a mixture of quinoa flour, salt and butter.

Until I work something out though, I'll leave it at that.

Come back in a week or two and see if the recipes have been posted. Then you will be able to follow sure-fire instructions.

Post Script: There is now a new section about gluten-free pies. This has recipes for both crusts and fillings for a gluten-free diet.

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