If you took that nostalgic trip down Sesame Street you will soon figure out how it ties into today’s post.
One morning not long ago, my teenaged daughter spent 3 hours making her first pie from scratch. It was to bring to a friend’s birthday party, so she personalized the top of the pie with his name.
What a gorgeous pie it was! The crust was a lovely golden color and sparkled from the sugar sprinkled over it. You could see the hint of purple juice peeking through the slits in the top.
I was bursting with pride as I took a few photos and then carefully transferred the pie to a cake carrier.
As we were getting ready to drive over to the party, my last words to my daughter as she went to pick up the carrier were to support it from the bottom with one hand as it was heavier than one would expect.
She carried the pie into the mudroom, leaned down to grab her backpack and dropped the pie.
The dark purple juice oozed out of the carrier onto the floor as I ran to get some paper towels. I thought I might cry, but that was not really going to help anything. My girl didn’t cry either, but then again she has always been sturdier than I emotionally. You’ll be amazed to hear that I only let out one expletive, too.
What to do?
We promptly wrapped the bottom of the carrier with newspaper, put it in the car and drove on our merry way.
The tossed pie was well received and deemed very good, if not incredibly gruesome.
They even saved me a slice so I could try it (and take pictures, of course!)
The crust was buttery perfection and the combination of blueberry and nectarine was a terrific summer match.
Make this Blueberry-Nectarine Pie soon. Just don’t drop it.
Blueberry-Nectarine Pie
Ingredients for the filling:
3 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups sliced nectarines
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Large pinch of grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Ingredients for the crust:
All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into bits
1 large egg beaten with 1 tablespoon cold water, for egg wash
Crystal or turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Directions:
1. Put half of the fruit in a medium saucepan along with sugar, flour, and lemon zest. Bring to a soft boil, stirring constantly, and simmer until liquid thickens. Remove from heat, transfer into a bowl and stir in the uncooked fruit. Taste liquid, and adjust flavoring by adding lemon juice. Let cool.
2. On a lightly floured work surface roll one half of the dough into an 11-inch circle. Fit crust into a 9-inch pie pan with 1-inch-high sides. Allow excess dough to hang over sides.
3. Roll remaining piece of dough into a 10-inch circle.
4. Spoon the cooled filling into the pie shell and dot with butter. Trim the overhanging dough to 1/2 inch. Lift the 10-inch circle of dough onto the pie, aligning edges of top crust with bottom crust. Fold both layers of overhanging dough under to create a thick edge around the rim of the pan. Crimp with fingers. Press the tines of a fork to decorate. Paint with egg wash and sprinkle with crystal sugar. Cut 4 to 6 slits in the crust and chill for 20 minutes. (Personalize your pie if you like)
5. Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F.
6. Place pie on a parchment lined pan and bake 50 minutes or until crust is golden. Let cool 30 minutes before cutting.
Serves 8
Recipe from Baking With Julia by Julia Child
All Butter, Really Flaky Pie Dough
Makes enough dough for one double or two single-crust pies
Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups (315 grams) flour
1 tablespoon (15 grams) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt
8 ounces (225 grams tablespoons or 1 cup) unsalted butter, very cold
Directions:
1. Fill a one cup liquid measuring cup with water and add a few ice cubes; set aside.
2. In a large bowl whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoon of sugar and a teaspoon of salt. Cut butter into 1/2-inch pieces.
3. Sprinkle the butter cubes over the flour and combine with a pastry blender, using it to scoop and redistribute the mixture as needed so all parts are worked evenly and the butter pieces are the size of tiny peas.
4. Drizzle 1/2 cup (120 ml) of the ice-cold water (but not the cubes) over the butter and flour mixture. Using a rubber spatula, gather the dough together. An additional 1/4 cup (60 ml) of cold water might be needed to bring it together, but only add it a tablespoon as a time. Once the dough has come together in large clumps, take it out of the bowl knead by hand on a lightly floured surface.
5. Divide the dough in half, and place each half on a large piece of plastic wrap. Form into disks. Let the dough chill in the fridge for one hour, preferably two, before rolling it out.
Recipe from Smitten Kitchen
This song is a bit out there and perfect for our pie.
‘Blueberry Glutton’ is from an EP by Tribe Of The Mountain “about a man who dreams of food all day but cannot leave his house because he can’t fit out the door, resulting in a tragic death.”
And on that cheerful note….
Check out Tribe Of The Mountain on Myspace and Bandcamp, where you can buy their music.
Cheers!
