Blueberry Pie

Last week my fellow foodie friends Chelle and Annie made blueberry pies and they both looked amazing! I was inspired and decided that a pie would be the perfect thing to make to use up a few pounds of the blueberries that I had recently picked.


This was the first blueberry pie I had ever made and I was scared that it was going to be completely runny and turn to mush. My filling held together pretty well, although there was a bit of liquid that came out once I removed the first piece of the pie. Overall I was pretty happy with the results. I am not really a crust person but this crust worked wonderful with the pie. Although I probably would not have been able to eat a piece plain, without the blueberry filling. I think my favorite crust recipe still has to be the one from the Daring Bakers Lemon Meringue Pie that I made back in January.

My husband and I both really enjoyed the pie, he said it has a nice tart flavor that he really enjoyed and I had to agree. After all, the tiny little tart blueberries are my favorite ones to eat. I served this with cool whip because my husband's choice of ice cream at the grocery store this week was not anything that would go well with blueberry pie.

Blueberry Pie
Adapted from Williams Sonoma
As seen on Brown Eyed Baker and Annie's Eats

Ingredients
2 rolled-out rounds of basic pie dough (recipe follows)
4 cups (2 pints) blueberries
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, strained
¾ cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 egg, whisked with 1 teaspoon water, for the egg wash (optional)

Directions
Fold 1 dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Using kitchen scissors, trim the edge of the dough, leaving ¾ inch of overhang. Set the dough-lined pan, along with the other dough round, in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.

Place the blueberries in a large bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss to coat evenly. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to distribute evenly. Immediately transfer to the dough-lined pan. Dot with the butter.

Fold the reserved dough round in half and carefully position it over half of the filled pie. Unfold and trim the edge neatly, leaving 1 inch of overhang, then fold the edge of the top round under the edge of the bottom round and crimp the edges to seal. Using a small, sharp knife, cut an asterisk 4 to 5 inches across in the center of the top to allow steam to escape during baking.

Refrigerate the pie until the dough is firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Bake the pie until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to set, 1 to 2 hours. Serve at room temperature or rewarm in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes just before serving. Makes one 9-inch pie; serves 8.

Note: If fresh blueberries are unavailable, use frozen blueberries (without thawing them first) and increase the baking time by 10 to 15 minutes.

Pâte Brisée
(Source: Martha Stewart Baking Handbook, page 224)

Makes enough for one double-crust or two single-crust 9-inch pies.
For the flakiest crust, make sure all ingredients (including the flour) are cold before you begin.
Ingredients
2½ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small pieces
¼ cup ice water, plus more if needed

Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add the butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)

With the machine running, add the ice water through the feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of the dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

Turn out the dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.

Daring Pie

It is once again that time of the month to announce the Daring Baker challenge recipe. This month Jen at The Canadian Baker decided on a lovely Lemon Meringue Pie. Having never made a Lemon Meringue Pie or meringue for that matter, I was excited to dive right into the recipe and give it a try.

Everything went very smoothly, the crust was easy and tasted incredible! The lemon filling was easy to make and I learned a very valuable lesson while attempting to make the meringue. The tiniest bit of egg yolk in with the egg whites and the whites will not rise and form soft peaks like they are supposed to.

Check out the Daring Bakers Blogroll to see all of the other Daring Bakers beautiful lemon merignue pies.

Lemon Meringue Pie
(Source: "Wanda's Pie in the Sky" by Wanda Beaver)

Daring Bakers Challenge #15: January 2008

Host: Jen (The Canadian Baker)

Makes one 10-inch (25 cm) pie

For the Crust:

3/4 cup (180 mL) cold butter; cut into ½-inch (1.2 cm) pieces

2 cups (475 mL) all-purpose flour

1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt

1/3 cup (80 mL) ice water

For the Filling:

2 cups (475 mL) water

1 cup (240 mL) granulated sugar

1/2 cup (120 mL) cornstarch

5 egg yolks, beaten

1/4 cup (60 mL) butter

3/4 cup (180 mL) fresh lemon juice

1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest

1 tsp (5 mL) vanilla extract

For the Meringue:

5 egg whites, room temperature

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) cream of tartar

1/4 tsp (1.2 mL) salt

1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) vanilla extract

3/4 cup (180 mL) granulated sugar

To Make the Crust:

Make sure all ingredients are as cold as possible. Using a food processor or pastry cutter and a large bowl, combine the butter, flour, sugar and salt.Process or cut in until the mixture resembles coarse meal and begins to clump together. Sprinkle with water, let rest 30 seconds and then either process very briefly or cut in with about 15 strokes of the pastry cutter, just until the dough begins to stick together and come away from the sides of the bowl. Turn onto a lightly floured work surface and press together to form a disk. Wrap in plastic and chill for at least 20 minutes.

Allow the dough to warm slightly to room temperature if it is too hard to roll. On a lightly floured board (or countertop) roll the disk to a thickness of 1/8 inch (.3 cm). Cut a circle about 2 inches (5 cm) larger than the pie plate and transfer the pastry into the plate by folding it in half or by rolling it onto the rolling pin. Turn the pastry under, leaving an edge that hangs over the plate about 1/2 inch (1.2 cm). Flute decoratively. Chill for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line the crust with foil and fill with metal pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Carefully remove the foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes, until golden. Cool completely before filling.

To Make the Filling:

Bring the water to a boil in a large, heavy saucepan. Remove from the heat and let rest 5 minutes. Whisk the sugar and cornstarch together. Add the mixture gradually to the hot water, whisking until completely incorporated. Return to the heat and cook over medium heat, whisking constantly until the mixture comes to a boil. The mixture will be very thick. Add about 1 cup (240 mL) of the hot mixture to the beaten egg yolks, whisking until smooth. Whisking vigorously, add the warmed yolks to the pot and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in butter until incorporated. Add the lemon juice, zest and vanilla, stirring until combined. Pour into the prepared crust. Cover with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, and cool to room temperature.

To Make the Meringue:

Preheat the oven to 375ºF (190ºC). Using an electric mixer beat the egg whites with the cream of tartar, salt and vanilla extract until soft peaks form. Add the sugar gradually, beating until it forms stiff, glossy peaks. Pile onto the cooled pie, bringing the meringue all the way over to the edge of the crust to seal it completely. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool on a rack. Serve within 6 hours to avoid a soggy crust.

Since I had some extra pie dough left over I rolled it out used a ramekin as a cutter and then stuffed each piece into a ramekin to make individual sized little pies. Well I really only made one, I ate the other 2 crust rounds like they were sugar cookies. :)

Daring Bakers Extra Challenge
Free-Style Lemon Tartlets
(Source: "Ripe for Dessert" by David Lebovitz)

Prepare the recipe as above but complete the following steps:

To roll out tartlet dough, slice the dough into 6 pieces. On lightly floured surface, roll each circle of dough into a 5 inch disk. Stack the disks, separated by pieces of plastic wrap, on a plate, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

To bake the dough, position rack in oven to the centre of oven and preheat to 350ºF (180ºC). Place the disks of dough, evenly spaced, on a baking sheet and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown. Cool completely.

To finish tartlets, first place oven rack in the upper third of the oven and increase heat to 425ºF. Divide the lemon filling equally among the disks, mounding it in the centre and leaving a 1-inch border all the way around. Spoon the meringue decoratively over each tartlet, right to the edges, in dramatic swirling peaks.

Return tartlets to oven and bake for about 5 minutes, until the meringue is golden brown.

Strawberry Tart

I made this dessert to go along with the Ziti with Chicken and Broccoli in a White Wine Cheddar Sauce that I made for my in-laws. The end result was very light tasting dessert that was just sweet enough to put a sweet tooth into hiding. My father in law went for seconds and my husband had to tie his hands behind his back so he would not go and get seconds for himself.


My modifications: I tried to cut out as much sugar as I could within the recipe (my changes are noted within the recipe in italics and blue lettering) and I also had to make a change with the amount of strawberries since I only had half of what the recipe called for. I pureed 1 cup in the food processor for the glaze and then sliced the remaining and placed them on the tart in a circular pattern. With doing it the way I did I should have put the glaze over the cream cheese filling and then placed the strawberries on top of that but I did it backwards so it does not look as pretty. Also my crust did not stay together well so I would recommend adding another tablespoon or so of butter to the crumbs.


Strawberry-Almond Cream Tart
(Source: Cooking Light)

Ingredients
Crust:
36 honey graham crackers (about 9 sheets)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
4 teaspoons water
Cooking spray

Filling:
2/3 cup light cream cheese
1/4 cup sugar (1/8 cup)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (1/4 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon almond extract (1/8 tsp)

Topping:
6 cups small fresh strawberries, divided (3 cups)
2/3 cup sugar (1/4 cup)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (1/2 tbls)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (1/2 tbls)
2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted (Oops, I forgot)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°

To prepare crust, place crackers in a food processor; process until crumbly. Add 2 tablespoons sugar, butter, and water; pulse just until moist. Place mixture in a 9-inch round removable-bottom tart pan coated with cooking spray, pressing into bottom and up sides of pan to 3/4 inch. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, combine cream cheese, 1/4 cup sugar, and extracts in a medium bowl; stir until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over bottom of tart shell.

To prepare topping, place 2 cups strawberries in food processor; process until pureed. Combine strawberry puree, 2/3 cup sugar, and cornstarch in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to low; cook 1 minute. Remove glaze from heat, and cool to room temperature, stirring occasionally.

Combine 4 cups strawberries and juice; toss to coat. Arrange berries, bottoms up, in a circular pattern over filling. Spoon half of glaze evenly over berries (reserve remaining glaze for another use). Sprinkle nuts around edge. Cover and chill 3 hours.

Note: You can use either an 8 x 12-inch rectangular pan or a 9-inch round tart pan. The recipe also works with a 9-inch springform pan and a 10-inch pie plate.

Tasty Tart

A cooking board that I post on is having a holiday recipe exchange. We all sent the host Katie a dessert recipe of our choice and she randomly sent our recipe to another member of the board. This tart recipe was the one that was sent to me. I was a bit hesitant at first because I do not really care for cranberries but I decided to give it a try anyway. I even went out and bought myself one of those fancy tart pans for the occasion. ;) Oh yeah, and if all that you have is a mini food processor enjoy making the crust because it fills the entire thing up and gives it quite the workout. :)


I made the following modifications to the recipe...
- The first change that I made was in the filling. I was not able to purchase the creme de cassis so I used seedless blackberry jam in its place.
- The second change was that the recipe called for frozen cranberries and I could not find these anywhere, so I bought fresh. After reading through the reviews I noticed people talking about a wash/sugar/freeze method so that is what I did. I washed the berries and mixed them with the sugar and froze them in a single layer on a baking sheet covered with foil and kept them there until I was ready to cook them. I also only used 1 bag of cranberries instead of the 1.5 the recipe called for.
- And my last modification is that I decided to add some chocolate to the top of the cranberries so that people knew that there was chocolate involved in the dessert (since I took the dish to my husband’s work Christmas party.


Like I said before I am not really a lover of cranberries but I gave this tart a try and it was pretty tasty. While I was grabbing my plate on the way out the door at my husband's Christmas party a lady asked me if I had made it and I told her yes, she said that it was excellent and even requested this recipe.

Chocolate Tart with Candied Cranberries
(Source: Epicurious.com; Bon Appétit December 1999 )

Ingredients
Crust
1 2/3 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
3 tablespoons (about) ice water
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Filling
1/2 cup whipping cream
8 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons crème de cassis (black currant-flavored liqueur)

Candied cranberries
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 1/2 12-ounce packages frozen cranberries, unthawed
1 cup sugar

Preparation
for crust: Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and cut in, using on/off turns, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 2 1/2 tablespoons water, egg yolk and vanilla. Blend until moist clumps form, adding more water by 1/2 tablespoonfuls if dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; chill at least 2 hours. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Let soften slightly before rolling out.)

Preheat oven to 375°F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 13- to 14-inch round. Transfer dough to 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Cut dough overhang to 3/4 inch; fold overhang in and press, forming sides that extend 1/4 inch above top of pan. Pierce crust all over with fork. Freeze 15 minutes. Bake crust 15 minutes. If sides of crust fall, press up with back of fork. Bake crust until beginning to brown, about 15 minutes longer. Cool on rack.

for filling: Bring cream to simmer in heavy medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Add chocolate and whisk until smooth; whisk in liqueur. Pour filling into crust. Refrigerate until filling is firm, at least 2 hours and up to 1 day.

for candied cranberries: Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray rimmed baking sheet with nonstick spray. Toss cranberries and sugar in medium bowl to blend. Spread out mixture on baking sheet. Bake 10 minutes. Using metal spatula, stir berries gently. Bake until berries are thawed and most sugar is dissolved, about 5 minutes longer. Cool on sheet 5 minutes. Spoon berries atop filling; drizzle with syrup from sheet. Chill 1 hour. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep chilled.)