Time for PIE!

Stoneybrook Farm Market Basket Week 6

As you can see from the pic the lettuce and cukes are still coming in strong. Beets, carrots, cabbage, tomatoes and Cantaloupe, fresh dill are also part of the veggie party in a box week 6 from Stoneybrook Farm. So, what's the newcomer to the party?? Potatoes, new baby white and red potatoes and they are so cute I could just eat 'em up...wait, that's exactly what I WILL do with them! As a matter of fact, our Wednesday nighs have turned into a veg-fest lately....take an assortment of the hearty vegetables from the market basket: add a chopped onion, some olive or peanut oil, salt and pepper and roast for about 30-45 minutes and serve with a salad or couscous and some fresh fruit and voila, dinner is on!!

One of the nicest things about enduring all this mid summer heat is the berries it produces for us to enjoy. Blackberries, Raspberries, and my favorite blueberries are busting with juicy goodness for a great snack, jam/jelly making and yes, pies! This week we had an abundance of blueberries so what better for one of our family dinner desserts than a fresh pie? I've tried lots of recipes and some are too sweet, the filling is too runny or it just doesn't call for enough fruit to make it a nice thick slice of pie when its done. I'll share one that proves over and over to turn out a perfect blueberry pie. You can use it for just about any berry you like, so blackberry may be in our future very soon!!

Easy as pie: Blueberry Pie

As with most pies, it really is all about the crust. While the preparation of pie crust can be intimidating, it shouldn't be! Try this recipe for a regular flour dough crust, but you can always purchase the prepared ones in your refrigerator section...and by all means, do not feel guilty! The other option is to use a graham cracker crust...it works great for berry pies and really is a nice change.

Crust INGREDIENTS:
6 Tablespoons Butter (frozen)
2 Tablespoons Crisco (frozen)
1 Cup flour
½ Teaspoon salt (I always use Kosher)
1 Tablespoon sugar
¼ cup ice water

HOW TO:
Measure out your butter and Crisco ahead, then keep in the freezer till you are ready to use it.
Mix together all the dry ingredients in a bowl and with a pastry cutter (or as my grandmother did it, use two everyday knives) cut in your butter and Crisco till you get evenly distributed small pieces throughout. Using a fork, sprinkle in a bit of water at a time (I use a Tablespoon or 2 at a time), mixing after each addition, until the dough holds together enough for you to get it into a ball shape and then flatten into a disk. Wrap with cling wrap and put in the fridge for at least ½ hour to chill thoroughly.

You can do this in a food processor too – dry ingredients (5 pulses), add butter and Crisco (3-4 pulses)...then add a bit of the water, pulse a couple times and repeat till the dough holds together and can be prepared as above.

This recipe makes one crust...if you want a top crust or extra to do a lattice top then just double or do two separate batches.

Flour your prep surface and grab your dough and a rolling pin. Roll out the dough in a circular shape rotating the dough as you go. Once at about 1/4 inch thickness and a bit larger than your pie pan you are ready to go. Transfer to the pan and pinch the edges to give it a fluted appearance.


Pie INGREDIENTS:

4 cups blueberries
6 Tablespoons of Cornstarch (not heaping)
2/3 Cup Sugar
2 ½ Tablespoons of water
2 Tablespoons of fresh squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
¼ Teaspoon of Cinnamon

HOW TO:

Put your crust in your pie pan.
Add berries.
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl with a whisk...add the liquids and mix thoroughly.
Pour this mixture all over the top of the berries – DO NOT STIR INTO THE BERRIES

At this point you top with a second full crust, do a lattice crust, or put a crumble topping (which I think is the best option). Easy to do – mix ¼ Cup of sugar, ½ Cup of flour, a dash of Kosher salt and 1 Teaspoon cinnamon together. Using a fork cut in ¼ Cup of butter (1 stick) until crumbly and spread evenly over the top of the berries.

Bake this pie at 375 degrees for 1 hour – if you do not see the mixture bubbling you may need to go an extra 10 to 15 minutes to make sure the cornstarch gets activated to thicken your pie mixture. Also, take a peek about halfway through the baking because if you think the crust is golden enough then take a couple strips of aluminum foil and just cover the edges of the pie, it will keep it from getting over baked.
When done, let this pie cool completely on top of your stove or on a rack to allow good air flow all around the dish. I like to put mine in the fridge for at least a couple of hours before I serve it. The pie is just wonderful all on its own, but if you must dress it up...use fresh whipped cream or a good vanilla ice cream.

ENJOY!!