blackberry pie

this is another delicious morsel from Labor Day Weekend. we picked blackberries both days for dessert, and made one cobbler and one pie. here are the details on the pie.  we experimented with the thickening method, since fresh fruit pies can tend to be a little soupy.  for this one, we cooked a little cornstarch and water on the stove until it thickened, and then added it to the fruit with a little more dry corn starch. It seemed to be the perfect amount of thickness without make the fruit filling stiff or gelatinous.

BLACKBERRY PIE

FOR THE CRUST:

2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup vegetable oil
6 tbsp. cold milk

FOR THE FILLING:

6 cups fresh blackberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup corn starch, divided
1/4 cup water
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. milk

1. Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but don't stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until dough just holds together. Divide dough in half, shape into 2 balls, and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax paper into 12" rounds. Transfer one pastry round (discarding wax paper) into a 9" pie plate, and set other pastry round aside.

2. Mix half of corn starch and 1/4 cup water in a pan on the stove, set to medium head and stir until it has thickened and clumps are stirred out.  Pour sugar and dry corn starch over berries and stir and then pour cooked corn starch mixture over berries and stir. 
3. Fill bottom crust with blackberry mixture and scatter butter on top. Cover with remaining pastry round (discarding wax paper) and crimp edges together to seal. Score top to allow steam to escape, brush with milk, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. If edge of crust browns too quickly, cover edge with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Allow pie to cool for 1 hour before serving.

Serve with vanilla ice cream.

SERVES 8

the key to this pie is the lime

key lime is and will always be one of my favorite pies. it offers unparalleled sour flavors and refreshment in one chilled and delicious dessert, and it's so much different than your average fruit pie. it's a great summer treat, or after summer treat, if you need a pleasant reminder of the sun. It was not until two years ago that I first attempted making it at home, before then I'd always opted for the frozen Trader Joe's version, which is also good but it's just not the same as homemade. it's my brother Todd's favorite dessert, and so I made this recipe for his birthday a few years back.  I've made it many time since, it's the best recipe I've found for the job. It incorporates sweetened condensed milk, which I almost never cook with, to balance out the tangy lime in the filling, and instead of whipped cream it's topped with sour cream for a little extra zinger. The filling is fluffy and light, while still being creamy, and of course the lime does just what it's supposed to do by keeping the whole thing as sour and tangy as ever.  

the snail and his key lime pie.

Lime Pie

Recipe courtesy of Emeril 

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tbsp. butter, melted

2 (14 oz.) cans sweetened condensed milk

1 cup key lime or lime juice

2 whole eggs

1 cup sour cream

2 tbsp. powdered sugar

1 tbsp. lime zest

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. In a bowl, mix the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter with your hands. Press the mixture firmly into a 9-inch pie pan, and bake until brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature before filling.

Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F. In a separate bowl, combine the condensed milk, lime juice, and eggs. Whisk until well blended and place the filling in the cooled pie shell. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes and allow to chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.

Once chilled, combine the sour cream and powdered sugar and spread over the top of the pie using a spatula. Sprinkle the lime zest as a garnish on top of the sour cream and serve chilled.

a pie for your travels

these pies are miniature. and cute. and totally free-form. making them quicker to bake than a whole pie, much less exact and portable enough for a summer picnic or road trip. you can make them as small or as large as you'd like, if you make them larger you can slice as you would a pie. AND, you can use this method for any fruit filling peach, blackberry, strawberry-rhubarb, apple, you name it.   

CHERRY GALETTES

For the filling:

1/3 cup cornstarch

1 cup water

6 cups cherries, pitted, and halved (bing or sour cherries)

1/4 cup sugar (increase to 3/4 cup if using sour cherries)

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla extract

4 tsp.  butter

Combine 1/3 cup cornstarch and 1 cup water in a saucepan on the stove.  Bring to a boil, stirring with a whisk until mixture has thickened. Mix cherries, sugar, lemon juice and vanilla in a large bowl and stir.  Add thickened cornstarch mixture and combine with the fruit.

FOR THE CRUST:

2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2⁄3 cup vegetable oil

6 tbsp. cold milk

Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but don't stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until dough just holds together. Divide dough into four sections, shape into 4 balls, and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax paper into 6" rounds. 

Place about 3/4 cup of fruit filling in the center of each piece of crust, and fold edges up over fruit to make a barrier.  Back for about 30-45 minutes, or until fruit is bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

like double cherry pie

Until more summer fruits and berries are in season, you can make this pie with tart cherries that they sell in the frozen section of the grocery store.

TART CHERRY PIE

Crust:

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 5 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:

• 1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 6 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 6 cups whole pitted sour cherries or dark sweet cherries (about 2 pounds whole unpitted cherries)
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice (if using sour cherries) 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 tablespoon (about) milk
• Vanilla ice cream
• 
  
• 
  
  For crust:
  Whisk flour, sugar, and salt in large bowl to blend. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until small pea-size clumps form. Add 5 tablespoons ice water; mix lightly with fork until dough holds together when small pieces are pressed between fingertips, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough together; divide into 2 pieces. Form each piece into ball, then flatten into disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. Do ahead Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled. Let dough soften slightly before rolling out.
  
  
  For filling:
  Position rack in lower third of oven and preheat to 425°F. Whisk 1 cup sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Stir in cherries, lemon juice, and vanilla; set aside.
  
  
  Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch glass pie dish. Trim dough overhang to 1/2 inch. Roll out second dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Using large knife or pastry wheel with fluted edge, cut ten 3/4-inch-wide strips from dough round. Transfer filling to dough-lined dish, mounding slightly in center. Dot with butter. Arrange dough strips atop filling, forming lattice; trim dough strip overhang to 1/2 inch. Fold bottom crust up over ends of strips and crimp edges to seal. Brush lattice crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle lattice with remaining 1 tablespoon sugar.
  
  
  Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pie until filling is bubbling and crust is golden brown, covering edges with foil collar if browning too quickly, about 1 hour longer. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely. Cut into wedges and serve with vanilla ice cream.

it's high time for pie time

My Grandma Marce (who just celebrated her 88th Birthday in December and her 67th Mother's Day on Sunday) first introduced me to pie baking. She is a very talented baker and can take any fruit and turn it into a pie, like magic. I remember cooking with her and that she always took the time to explain the process, and let me help with little jobs like rolling out the dough, or adding sugar to the fruit. 

During her summer visits to Alaska she would make strawberry rhubarb pie using the rhubarb in our yard. It was one of my favorite desserts growing up, and thanks to her, it still is.

Strawberries and rhubarb:  a partnership to go down in the books

pie and ice cream: another good combination

FOR THE CRUST:

2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2⁄3 cup vegetable oil

6 tbsp. cold milk

FOR THE FILLING:

1 1⁄4 cups plus 2 tsp. sugar

1⁄4 cup corn starch

1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg

1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon

3 cups thinly sliced rhubarb

3 cups halved and hulled strawberries

2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces

2 tsp. milk

1. Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but don't stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until dough just holds together. Divide dough in half, shape into 2 balls, and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax paper into 12" rounds. Transfer one pastry round (discarding wax paper) into a 9" pie plate, and set other pastry round aside.

2. For the filling: Mix together 1 1⁄4 cups of the sugar, corn starch, nutmeg, and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, then add rhubarb and strawberries, tossing well to coat evenly.

3. Fill bottom crust with rhubarb–strawberry mixture and scatter butter on top. Cover with remaining pastry round (discarding wax paper) and crimp edges together to seal. Score top to allow steam to escape, brush with milk, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. If edge of crust browns too quickly, cover edge with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Allow pie to cool for 1 hour before serving.

SERVES 8

rhuby tuesday

These last couple weeks have been very exciting with signs of late spring beginning to appear, which is especially nice considering that summer will be here before we know it. The farmers markets are showcasing more brightly colored flowers and lots more fresh fruits and vegetables, my favorite of which is rhubarb. For me the first rhubarb, marks the beginning of pie season. With a little rhubarb from the Ballard market, a little from Dan's mom's garden, I made the first rhubarb pie of 2010. 
This pie recipe comes from Saveur magazine, the crust is really nice because it uses oil rather than butter or shortening, making it much easier to work with. They got the crust recipe from Louise Piper, who won a 1997 blue ribbon at the Iowa State Fair, using this crust and a strawberry-rhubarb filling. This one's just filled with rhubarb, but I'll share the recipe soon for the strawberry-rhubarb version.

RHUBARB PIE

Crust:
2 2⁄3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. salt

2⁄3 cup vegetable oil

6 tbsp. cold milk

For the filling:

1 1⁄3 cups, plus 2 tsp. sugar
2 tbsp corn starch
1⁄4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1⁄4 tsp. ground cinnamon
4-6 cups thinly sliced rhubarb
2 tbsp. butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. milk
Preheat oven to 400°. For the crust: Sift together flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Measure oil into a measuring cup, then add milk, but don't stir together. Pour oil and milk into flour mixture. Stir until dough just holds together. Divide dough in half, shape into 2 balls, and flatten slightly. Roll out each ball between two sheets of wax paper into 12" rounds. Transfer one pastry round (discarding wax paper) into a 9" pie plate, and set other pastry round aside.
For the filling: Mix together 1 1⁄3 cups of the sugar, corn starch, nutmeg and cinnamon in a large mixing bowl, then add rhubarb, tossing well to coat evenly.Fill bottom crust with rhubarb mixture and scatter butter on top. Cover with remaining pastry round (discarding wax paper) and crimp edges together to seal. Score top to allow steam to escape, brush with milk, and sprinkle with remaining 2 tsp. sugar. Place pie on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, about 50 minutes. If edge of crust browns too quickly, cover edge with a strip of aluminum foil to prevent burning. Allow pie to cool for 1 hour before serving.

this pie sweats...so you don't have to

this was my first endeavor with a making a lemon meringue pie, and i made it for corey moran's birthday dessert. it was pure deliciousness. gotta love the lemon. i really really love the lemon. i think this is my new favorite. and now that i know that this isn't such a high maintenance pie after all, and that i can turn egg whites into stiff peaks while i'm watching tv (thanks to the kitchenaid), we are in trouble. i want to make it everyday.

LEMON MERINGUE PIE
(Courtesy of Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything)

1 flaky pie crust (out of the freezer section or homemade)
1 cup granulated sugar
salt
boiling water
4 eggs, separated
1/3 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated or minced lemon zest
6 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup confectioners sugar

In saucepan, mix sugar, cornstarch, and flour. Gradually add hot water, stirring constantly. Cook and stir over high heat until mixture comes to a boil. Reduce heat; cook and stir 2 minutes longer. Remove from heat. Stir small amount of hot mixture into egg yolks to temper, then return to hot mixture. Bring back to boiling and cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly with a whisk. Add butter and lemon zest. Slowly add lemon juice, mixing well. Pour into pastry shell. Spread meringue over filling to the edges. Bake at 350 F for 12 to 15 minutes. Cool before cutting, best served cool.