It is almost Thanksgiving and I have been thinking about it and what I will make for no less than three weeks. Really, I’m that kinda of food geek. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays; I mean it is all about food and gratitude! How fantastic!

I have been reflecting back on this year and practicing gratitude for what this year has brought, knee replacement and all. One of things I am so thankful for is this blog and all the great readers it has. So in gratitude, I would like to share one of my favorite dessert recipes that I have been saving for a special occasion.

I learned it many many years ago. (Ya know back in the vegan / raw food days where we all lived in clothing optional communities on warm islands and ate mangos.) It has been on my table every Thanksgiving since, a delicious reminder of those care free days and sunny days. My children grew up with it and now make it in their own homes. (My son just turned 28! Egads!)

It is a fresh fruit pie with a date/nut/coconut crust. Who would have known that it would also be a paleo dessert that I still enjoy eating so many years later. What a treat. A warm memory wrapped up in a paleo dessert. Yet another thing to be thankful for.

Make sure and use fresh fruits in season. It is important for the fruit to be ripe since it is the starring role. We originally made it with mac nuts and tropical fruit. I would recommend using pears, apples, oranges, bananas, grapes (cut in half) and kiwis for this season. This pie is amazing served with chilled and whipped coconut milk. You are going to love it and I think it will become a tradition and sweet memory in your home as well.

Fresh Fruit Pie

The crust;
1 cup of raw almonds or Mac nuts
½ cup of unsweetened dried coconut
5-8 dates, pitted and chopped coarsely

The filling;
Fresh fruit. Period.
I recommend pears, apples, bananas, oranges, kiwi, grapes and mangos. (If they are ripe!)

To make the crust, soak the nuts in water overnight. The next day toss them in the food processor and pulse till finely minced. Add the coconut, pulse till mixed, then add 4 dates and till mixed. Keep adding one date at a time and pulsing till the mixture begins to roll into a delicious ball. (Hard to say how many dates this takes as dates vary radically in size and moisture.) When it has become a ball, take it out and knead it to mix everything together well. Then press it into a well-oiled pie crust where it is evenly distributed and up over the lip. (You might have some left over, not worries, just roll into bite sized ball for a great snack.)

The filling. Wash and dry all your fruit. Take care to slice everything into beautiful slices and keep separate from each other. Peel what fruit you want. I usually only peel the kiwis. The pears and apples should be lightly spritzed with lemon juice to keep them from turning brown. Start with the ugliest fruit on the bottom of the pie and layer it. Add the next layer of whatever fruit and keep doing this till you finish the top of the pie with the prettiest fruit. (Kiwi usually ends up there.) If the fruit are not super ripe, drizzle a wee bit of warm honey over the whole thing. Sprinkle with some dried coconut and/or dried cranberries for sparkle and voila! Done! Cut into pie shapes and serve with coconut whipped cream. (Stick a can of coconut milk in the fridge for 24 hours then in the freezer for one hour and whip with mixer till whipping cream like) It might not come out in the most perfect pie slices but it is very good! Enjoy!