Still in Love With Blueberry Pie

My husband and I just got done celebrating our third wedding anniversary.  Not a huge milestone, no, but we decided we are no longer newlyweds.

Considering we were 19 when we met, we have had to grow up together, jointly experiencing the evolution into adulthood – college, finances, careers, family – and the triumphs and bumps-in-the-road along the way.

After almost seven years of companionship, I think we have finally hit our groove.  It’s a blessing to still be in love.

Wooing with a fine dessert is one key to our relationship and few treats make my husband happier than this blueberry pie that will always remind me of our first summer living together.  If you are a blueberry fan, you will surely fall in love as well.

Blueberry Pie with Almond Crumble

Makes 8 servings

Adapted slightly from the July 2007 Bon Appetit

1 disk pie crust (your favorite recipe or this one)

Filling

3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons (or more) sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

7 cups fresh blueberries (32 ounces) or 32 ounces frozen blueberries (do not thaw)

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

Almond Crumble

1/2 cup unbleached all purpose flour

4 ounces almond paste, broken into 1/3-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup loosely packed)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2  cup sliced almonds, divided

Roll out pie crust disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameterglass pie dish. Turn crust edges under and crimp decoratively, forming crust edge 1/4 inch above sides of pie dish. Refrigerate while preparing filling and topping.

For filling:
Whisk 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar and cornstarch in heavy large saucepan to blend. Stir in blueberries and lemon juice. Cook over medium heat until mixture bubbles and thickens, frequently stirring gently, about 13 minutes. Chill filling until cool, about 1 hour. If more sweetness is desired, stir in sugar by tablespoonfuls.

For topping:
Combine first 4 ingredients in processor; blend until mixture begins to clump together.  Add 1/4 cup of sliced almonds and pulse for 10 seconds. Transfer to bowl and stir in remaining 1/4 cup almonds; chill 30 minutes. Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Spread blueberry filling evenly in unbaked crust. Sprinkle topping evenly over. Place pie on rimmed baking sheet and bake until crust and topping are golden and filling bubbles thickly, about 50 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.

When Life Gives You Lemons, Use the Whole Thing

I am a chocoholic and I have no desire to treat this addiction.  However, my appreciation for non-chocolate desserts has increased as of late and I have been enjoying trying out new recipes.

One such recipe is this lemon pie courtesy of the Tartine cookbook.

This humble pie places lemons on a pedestal emphasizing all of their bright, sweet, tart, and bitter flavors.

What amazes me about this recipe is that the whole lemon (minus the seeds) is used to make the lemon filling.  Typically, when making lemon desserts, you use only the juice and to get the full lemon experience, you have to use a lot of it.

Here, thin slices of the whole lemon are tenderized in sugar for a few hours, whisked with eggs, and gently sandwiched between flaky pie crust.  The result, a cross between lemon curd and marmalade and it’s all lemon.  Definitely one of my favorite pies I have made so far.

I also tried Tartine’s pie crust recipe and it is making me question my previous loyalty to this pie crust.  I could hardly believe how flakey and flavorful it was (probably due to the amount of butter) and I am already trying to come up with an excuse to make it again.

Lemon Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Courtesy of Tartine by Elisabeth M. Prueitt and Chad Robertson

Note:  I highly recommend a big dollop of unsweetened whipped cream as a garnish.  The creaminess brings the dessert together and is perfect with the lemon.

For the pie crust:

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup very cold water

3 cups + 2 tablespoons flour

1 cup + 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold

For the lemon filling:

2 medium lemons

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 large egg yolk

1 tablespoon heavy cream

sugar for decorating

Make the dough.  In a small bowl, add the salt to the water and stir to dissolve.  Keep very cold until ready to use.

Using a food processor, put the flour in the work bowl.  Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces and scatter the pieces over the flour.  Pulse briefly until the mixture forms large crumbs and some of the butter is still in pieces the size of peas.  Add the water-and-salt mixture and pulse for several seconds until the dough begins to come together in a ball but is not completely smooth.  You should still be able to see some butter chunks.

On a lightly floured work surface, divide the dough into 2 equal balls and shape each ball into a disk 1-inch thick.  Wrap well in plastic wrap and chill for at least 2 hours or for up to overnight.

Begin lemon filling.  Slice the lemons paper-thin (this would be a great time to use a mandolin, but I was too lazy), discarding the thicker stem end and any seeds.  Put them in a nonreactive bowl (stainless steel or glass) and, using a spoon or your hands, toss with the sugar.  Cover and let sit at room temperature for at least 3 hours or for up to overnight.

Assemble pie.  Use 1 dough round to line a 10-inch tart pan with a removable bottom, easing it into the bottom and sides and leaving a 1-inch overhand.  Set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs and salt together until blended.  Add the eggs to the lemon mixture, mixing thoroughly.  Pour the mixture into the dough-lined tart pan.  the mixture will be very liquid, so you must evenly distribute the lemon pieces in the pan.

To make the egg wash, in a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk and cream.  Brush the rim of the dough with the egg wash to help the top round adhere.  Lay the second dough round over the filling and trim the overhand for both round to 1/4 inch.  Crimp the edge as you would for a pie, making sure you have a good seal.  Brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and then sprinkle the sugar evenly over the top.  Chill for about 30 minutes in refrigerator.  While the pie is chilling, preheat oven to 350°F.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Cut a few decorative slits in the top of the pie for air vents, and place the tart pan on the lined baking sheet.  Bake the pie until it is deep gold on top and the filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes.  If the top is coloring too quickly, place a piece of parchment loosely over the top.  Let the pie cool completely before slicing to allow filling to set properly.  Serve at room temperature with lightly whipped unsweetened cream.