Blueberry Pie!

FIrst, my apologies to my readers for not updating this blog with new ideas.The hospital work and the divided attention to my many endeavors have compromised my curating my food blog. But it is not that I do not have any topics to discuss. In fact, I have taken multiple images and video clips for the next installment. However, the format I adopted for the blog is tedious that I cannot keep it up in a timely fashion and which then brings us to the second point.

 

Starting with this installment, I decided to forgo with the video portion of the article. I find that no matter how much editing of the instructional video I do, there are always complaints in the presentation or the editing or the script etc. On my part, they are time consuming to make and it is just disheartening to find the negative comments on my YouTube channel. And besides, it is the reason why I delay the release of my next article.

 

Therefore, I'd show the full instruction of my recipes here on this blog using detailed photographs and if there are any questions, feel free to write on the comments section and I would respond to them. In this way, I keep the forum controlled within one site.

 

Anyway - on to this installment.

 

Blueberry Pie!

So summer is finally here. And I find that there is just an abundance of fruit in sale prices in the supermarkets. My sister just visited me a month ago and bought some cute small McIntosh apples which she did not consume and I decided to make some Apple Blondie Cake. But I am reserving that for the next installment. Meanwhile, I bought some blueberries and made blueberry pie and tonight I just served them to my nurses in the hospital and the reviews were just surprisingly good.

 

"I need to have that recipe," one said. "I don’t normally like pie. But seeing that, I just decided to have a slice!"

 

As mentioned in my last article on apple pie, there are two things that make it - obviously, the crust and the filling. It is in the complementary taste and texture that make pie and therefore, as much as the filling is important in defining the flavor of the pie, still the crust is what makes pie. And the way to make pie crust is as basic as a proportion that I have already defined in my head: 1 stick butter:1 cup all purpose flour, salt and sugar depending on the purpose of the pie and ice cold water. 

 

Blueberries. Note that blueberries are usually very sweet without much character. It is much like eating sugar and therefore, to bring its flavor forward it has to have a tartness that is not in the fruit in the first place. This is where lemon juice comes handy. The sour lemon juice would mix with the sweet blueberries contrasting each other and therefore brings forth the remaining delicate flavor of the blueberry. And because blueberries are rather juicy, cooking it would release its juices making it watery. This is where a half a cup of flour comes in. Then, do not forget cinnamon to bring some spice and butter to make it hearty.

 

Without further comment, I am presenting to you my recipe of my hit Blueberry Pie.

 

Blueberry Pie:

 

Pie Crust:

• 2 sticks (therefore 1 cup) butter, cold but soft
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
• 3 tablespoons white sugar (or to taste)
• ¼ - 1/3 cup ice cold water

 

Blueberry filling:

• 2 pints (2 small containers) fresh blueberries
• 1/4 (to taste) cup of lemon juice
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1 stick butter, cold and sliced
• ½ cup all purposed flour
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

 

Procedure:

 

To make pie crust:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl.
2. Cut butter into slices and place them on top of the dry ingredients. Using two blunt knives (e.g. table knives) "cut the butter" through the dry flour so that the butter resembles pie sized particles surrounded by the flour. At this point, place ¼ cup of ice water and carefully using the fingers, lightly incorporate the liquid into the flour and butter mix making a solid but non-resilient dough. When carefully inspected, one can see the specks of butter in the dough. Do not knead the dough. The point of this is to make a flaky pastry and this can be achieved if there are specks of butter in between the flour that later would melt away as heat is introduced in the oven.
3. Divide the dough 2/3 and 1/3. Wrap both with wax paper and chill for about 10 minutes until easy to handle.
4. At this point, turn on your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
5. Getting the larger dough and flattening it in between two sheets of wax paper, flatten further and equally using slight pressure from an inside to outside motion with a rolling pin. Lift the dough still between the sheets of wax paper to see whether it will fit the pie pan.
6. Remove one of the sheets and place on the pie pan. Chill this again in the refrigerator while making the filling.

Butter, cold but soft, is placed on top of the dry ingredients...

and using two blunt knives, it is cut into small pea sized
particles which are surrounded by the flour.

 

Add ice cold water...

...and using your fingertips incorporate the water within
the flour-butter mix releasing the gluten.

Further using the fingertips to mix.  Do not knead!

Still incorporating, becoming a solid mass.

And becoming the pie crust we want.

Divide the dough to large 2/3 and small 1/3 portions.
Wrap with wax paper and chill until easy to handle
(about fifteen minutes).

Getting the large portion and in between wax paper,
roll evenly using an in to outward motion
using a rolling pin.

See if it covers the pie pan by measuring the dough,
wax paper on, laying it on the pan.

Only when you are sure, remove one of the wax
papers and...

...lay it on the pan. Chill this in the refrigerator. Set
your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit as you
make the filling.

To make filling:

1. Combine together the ingredients of the filling leaving out first the flour in order to see whether the balance of flavors is right to your taste. One may choose to slightly add more sugar or lemon juice while judging its sweetness and tartness. When the taste is just right, add the flour and mix well. Remove the remaining wax paper from the crust. Place the blueberry mixture on the crust lined pie pan.
2. Using the above technique, flatten the smaller piece of pie crust and place this on top of the blueberry mixture. Fold the edges of the bigger crust to the smaller crust and flatten using the fingertips sealing the two ends together. Pinch serially around the crust edges to have that fluted look. Use the edge of a blunt knife to smoothen the edges.

Wash the blueberries and drain.

With the berries. add sugar, lemon juice, butter and cinnamon.
Taste one of the berries to see if the balance of sweet
and sour is right. Adjust by adding a bit of sugar
or lemon juice according to taste.

Add the flour and mix well.

Roll in between waxpapers, the smaller piece of dough.

Smaller piece rolled flat.

Get tghe crust lined pan and remove the remaining
waspaper.

Place filling in the pan and top with the smaller piece
of pie dough.

The smaller piece of dough covering the blueberryfilling.

Fold the lower edge to the top edge and seal.

Using fingertips, pinch the dough around the circumference.

Evening the edges using a blunt knife by
"pushing" the dough within.

Do not forget to place airvents. Bake for an hour with the last
ten minutes baking after brushing with eggwash and
sprinkling with sugar for frosted look.

Cool and serve!

 

Bake in the preheated oven of 350 degrees Fahrenheit for an hour. During the last ten to fifteen minutes of baking brush the top with an eggwash consisting of a well beaten egg mixed with a tablespoon of water and sprinkle the top with white sugar. This will give your pie a shiny appetizing look.

 

Let cool to room temperature and serve.