So not my typical post, but as I am looking through all of these pictures, it looks as though I missed one that was super fun! Blueberry pie.
So I bought a membership to Costco pretty much right after I moved here knowing that I can save a lot of money by shopping in bulk. So, I loaded up on fresh fruit and veggies - tomatoes, cukes, broccoli, raspberries, grapes, nectarines, tangerines etc.
Well, what looked like 5lb of blueberries were just sitting in the fridge for a few days. Although Julien kept grabbing handfuls for snacks, we both knew we wouldnt finish the container before they went bad - the reality about not prepping things/too much for two people even though Costco rocks! So, Julien requested that I make a good blueberry pie. And thats exactly what I did.
Now, I dont have much practice in pie baking. Pie eating, sure. But lets see... even in childhood my mom didnt bake pies. She would grab an apple cobbler each fall from the Franklin Apple Cider Mill or a Lakeshore berry pie from The Grand Traverse Pie Company... or a good old pie from Kate's Kitchen in Monroe. We never baked pies. Well, who else to turn to but Williams Sonoma.
Now you can get pre-made pie dough - but I felt that if this were my masterpiece, it would be entirely my creation so I made the pie dough from their basic recipe.
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbs. sugar
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch cubes
- 3 Tbs. very cold water
Directions:
To make the dough by hand, in a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry cutter or 2 knives, cut the butter into the flour mixture until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix with a fork just until the dough pulls together.
To make the dough in a stand mixer, fit the mixer with the flat beater, and stir together the flour, sugar and salt in the mixer bowl. Add the butter and toss with a fork to coat with the flour mixture. Mix on medium-low speed until the texture resembles coarse cornmeal, with the butter pieces no larger than small peas. Add the water and mix on low speed just until the dough pulls together.
Transfer the dough to a work surface, pat into a ball and flatten into a disk. (Although many dough recipes call for chilling the dough at this point, this dough should be rolled out immediately for the best results.) Lightly flour the work surface, then flatten the disk with 6 to 8 gentle taps of the rolling pin. Lift the dough and give it a quarter turn. Lightly dust the top of the dough or the rolling pin with flour as needed, then roll out into a round at least 12 inches in diameter and about 1/8 inch thick. Makes enough dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie or one 10-inch galette.
HERE is the recipe for the actual pie :)
- 1 recipe Basic Pie Dough (see related recipe at
left)
- 3/4 cup plus 5 Tbs. all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. granulated sugar
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp. salt
- 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 3/4-
inch pieces
- 5 cups blueberries
Directions:
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.
Roll out the dough and transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Refrigerate until firm. Line the chilled piecrust with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fill with dried beans, uncooked rice or pie weights. Bake until the crust dries out, about 15 minutes; to check, lift an edge of the foil. Carefully remove the weights and foil. Reduce the heat to 350°F. Continue to bake until the crust is lightly browned on the edges and dry-looking on the bottom, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the crust to a wire rack.
Increase the heat to 375°F.
In a large bowl, stir together the 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon and the salt. Scatter the butter pieces on top and toss with a fork or your fingers to coat with the flour mixture. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the ingredients together until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of large peas. Set the topping aside.
In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon and 4 Tbs. of the flour. Stir gently to coat the blueberries evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs. flour and the 1 Tbs. granulated sugar over the bottom of the prebaked crust. Pour the filling into the crust, spreading it evenly.
Sprinkle the topping evenly over the blueberry filling. Bake the pie until the topping is golden brown and the blueberry filling just begins to bubble, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely. Serve at room temperature. The pie is best served the day it is baked. Makes one 9-inch pie.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Baking, by Cathy Burgett, Elinor Klivans & Lou Seibert Pappas (Oxmoor House, 2003).
