For my first attempt at a fruit pie with homemade crust, I followed the recipes and directions directly out of The Joy of Cooking for the Blueberry Pie and Basic Pie Dough. I have heard horror stories about failed pie crusts and people who work years to develop the right techniques for a successful pie. I was anxious to say the least.
Making the filling was pretty easy. Just mix the blueberries with some sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice. Once the mixture sets for a while, it starts to really look good.
Then it was on to making the dough. Unlike bread doughs, you don’t want to overwork the dough or activate the gluten in the flour. You blend the ingredients while cool and with some delicacy. Some recipes call for butter and others for lard. I decided to go with the classic lard recipe because I have heard and read that using lard really does produce the better pie crust. So, for the first time ever, I went to the grocery and bought lard! The stuff is as gross as it sounds.
*This is where you have to remind yourself of all the health benefits you’re going to get from the blueberries to help justify cooking with pure animal fat. *
I used a newly purchased pastry blender to cut the lard into the flour. This is another area where I did some prior research. Apparently this is really the only reliable method of blending pastry and pie doughs.
The next step was to roll out the dough and create the crust. I will have to admit that I struggled a bit with this part of the process. My dough cracked around the edges and tore in a few places, but in the end, I managed to get it into the pie dish without too much trouble. I found that using a piece of fishing line will come in handy if you get the dough stuck to your countertop.
At this point, I was more concerned with the pie tasting good, rather than looking flawless. The crust always breaks apart anyways, right?
So, once the crust is assembled in the pan, all that’s left to do is fill and cover.
I used wax paper on the countertop for rolling out the second piece of dough. It worked out much better.
The final step was to seal the edges of the pie with a fork crimp method and then bake!
And what goes best with warm fruit pie out of the oven? Ice cream! My good friend, Andrea, was gracious enough to come by with some fresh vanilla bean ice cream from Little Man Ice Cream, my favorite local ice cream spot. The two made a perfect combo that just melted in my mouth. Yummm!
I was overall pleased with the results. I feel like my first pie was a success. What the crust lacked in beauty, it more than made up for in flaky goodness! I can't wait to make another!
Try it for yourself and don’t forget the ice cream!
Filling
Combine in a bowl and let stand for 15 minutes:
5 cups of fresh blueberries (washed and picked over)
1 cup of sugar
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
pinch of salt
Dough (for a 9-inch pie dish)
Preheat oven to 450°F
Sift together :
2 ½ cups of all purpose flour
1 ¼ teaspoon of salt
Add :
¾ cup of chilled lard
3 tablespoons of unsalted butter
Cut half of the lard into the flour mixture with a pastry blender until it has the consistency of cornmeal.
Cut the remaining half into the dough until it is pea-sized. Sprinkle the dough with:
6 tablespoons of ice water
Blend the water gently into the dough until it just hold together.
Divide the dough in half and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Lightly flour a work surface. Place the dough in the center of the floured surface and lightly flour it as well. Exert even pressure on the dough with a rolling pin and roll the dough from the center out in all directions, stopping just short of the edge of the dough. Check for sticking along the way and sprinkle with flour as needed.
Once you have placed the shaped bottom crust into the pie dish, overlap and trim the edges. Fill the crust with the already mixed fruit filling, dot with cubes of butter, and repeat the process for the top crust. Seal the edges of the crust by crimping with a fork. Cut a few slits into the top crust for venting.
Bake in the oven for 10 minutes on 450°F, then turn the oven temp down to 350°F and bake for an additional 35 to 40 minutes. Once the pie is golden brown, remove from the oven and let cool completely.
Once again, all of the lovely images for this blog were captured by Orin Salah.
3 comments:
Looks like it turned out awesome and yummy!!
I can attest to the fact that it was DELICIOUS! And so were the bagels. How I got so lucky to have been in on both first baking efforts, I don't know! :)
Yum, yum!! It was SO good, can't wait for another pie attempt. Nice descriptions and good information on the blueberry, who knew it was so good for you too? Can't wait to see (and taste!) whatever comes next.
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