# Summertime pies!



## mdboatbum (Jul 27, 2013)

Can't let summer go by without taking advantage of fresh berries. Decided to put on my baking hat yesterday and make a couple summertime favorites.













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__ Jul 27, 2013






Got all the stuff together













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Cut the butter into the flour.













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__ Jul 27, 2013






Making the strawberry glaze.  (Stove's a bit of a mess, doing a lot of cooking yesterday)













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__ mdboatbum
__ Jul 27, 2013






Blueberries!!













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__ mdboatbum
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Still need to improve on my lattice work.













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__ mdboatbum
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It was perfect til I took i out of the oven. I'd used a disposable pie pan, and it flexed when I picked it up, dribbling juice out.













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__ mdboatbum
__ Jul 27, 2013






I think this one's my favorite. Added a few blueberries for contrast. Unfortunately it's going to a friend, and unless I go to her 4 year old's birthday party I won't get to taste any.

The recipes:

I'm going by memory as I'm too lazy to go get what I wrote down, so proceed at your own peril!!

The dough is really easy, and a good one.

2 cups AP flour

1/2 cup corn meal for a little crunch.

2 sticks butter

1 cup ice water with 1 TB cider vinegar in it. The vinegar will relax the gluten in the dough, making it easier to work.

2 TB sugar, plus more for sprinkling.

1/2 tsp salt

Cut the butter into 1/2" cubes. Put the dry ingredients in the bowl of your food processor, then add the butter. Then, AND THIS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, put the whole shootin' match in the freezer for at least an hour, bowl, top, blade and all.

After it's all good and cold, put about 4TB of the ice water/vinegar mixture in and pulse. Keep pulsing and adding water until it will form a ball in your hand, but isn't wet. I wish there was a better way to explain this, as it's really the most important part, but you really need to just do it a few times and get a feel for it. Once it's "there", dump it into a plastic bag and form it into a disc. I never really understood having to make the disc before putting it into the fridge, but it's so that it's already in the right shape and you don't over work it when it's time to roll it out. Put it into the fridge for 2 hours or overnight if you're one who plans ahead.

When it's time to roll it out, try to be quick and work the dough as little as possible. You want it to stay cold. I won't go into the rest, as it's pretty standard and depends on what you're gonna do with the dough.

For these pies I blind baked the one for the Strawberry pie, and obviously did a lattice on the Blueberry.

Blueberry pie filling:

4 cups washed blueberries.

1 1/2 cups sugar

3 TB corn starch

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Just mix it all together and dump it in the pie shell. Then top with strips of crust in a lattice pattern. Brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Bake at 435˚ for 45-50 minutes. Let it cool COMPLETELY before slicing, at least 2 hours.

Strawberry glaze:

1 cup water

1 cup sugar

3TB corn starch

3TB Strawberry gelatin, like Jell-O

Zest of half a lemon

1tsp vanilla extract

Bring to a boil over medium hi heat, stirring constantly. Continue boiling until the glaze thickens and becomes clear, about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat, let cool 5 minutes and add vanilla and lemon zest. I left my zest in big pieces so I could fish it out after it steeped for about 10 minutes.

To assemble the Strawberry pie, let the crust and the glaze cool to room temperature. Pour about a third of a cup of glaze into a small container and set aside. Then pick out about 12 of the biggest, prettiest berries and set aside. I used about a quart of berries in all.  Then slice the rest into thin slices and add to the glaze and dump that in the pie crust. Hull the reserved berries and slice in half, then arrange on top of the pie. "Paint" the reserved glaze on the top berries to give them a nice shine. Garnish with whipped cream. HINT, dissolve one packet of gelatin in 3TB water, let cool to room temperature and add to the whipped cream once soft peaks are achieved, about the same time you add your sugar and vanilla. Then continue whipping 'til stiff peaks form. This will stabilize your whipped cream so you can make the pie a few days in advance.

Chill the pie for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.


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## bobank03 (Jul 27, 2013)

WOW! Those are beautiful. I am sure they taste as good as they look.


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## foamheart (Jul 27, 2013)

Mdboatbum, nice looking pies. Like you I am kinda partial to Strawberry. Maybe cause we always grew so dang many. Nice job on those crusts. Crust makes a good pie, best filling in the world can't help one with a bad crust.

Dang good lookin pies man!


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## mdboatbum (Jul 27, 2013)

Thanks guys!! I was pretty happy with the way they turned out. I'm not much of a baker. but trying to learn. This was my first made from scratch crust that worked out ok.


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## kathrynn (Jul 27, 2013)

those look wonderful!  Lattice work is better than I can do!  
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





Going to have to try that crust recipe!  Sounds and looks great.

Kat


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## geerock (Jul 27, 2013)

Damn..... I'll go to a 4 year old's birthday party if I can get a piece of that!  That looks great.


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## smokinhusker (Jul 27, 2013)

Yummy! They both look great and thanks for sharing the recipes.


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## mdboatbum (Jul 28, 2013)

Well the strawberry pie refused to gel, at least by late last night. So it ended up staying here. This morning it was somewhat set so I tried a piece ad it was good, not great. I think the glaze staying liquid so long made it soak into the crust or something, as it was pretty tough. Not terrible, just not great. Shame too, as it really looks pretty nice.


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## foamheart (Jul 28, 2013)

I have eaten the best pies with a spoon! I wasn't sure that pecan pies didn't just come that way for many years......


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