Tag Archives: berry pie

Berry Desserts, Pie, Uncategorized

Blueberry Crumble Pie

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Blueberry crumble pie by twocarolines.com

I’m here to tell you with conviction that you can eat berry pies all through the winter!  Blueberry pie is not always the most popular, people kind of love it or feel ehh about it, but I’m a fan, and I felt that instead of double crusting it, a nice heavy oat crumble would do wonders with some blueberry goodness.  I was super right about that.  Not only did this pie have amazing flavor with the sweet berries, lemon, cinnamon and sugar, but the texture was fruit pie perfection!  Whenever you make a fruit pie you must send up a prayer that it sets up and you don’t end up with soup.  This little number sets up like a champion every time! Sturdy slices, but still so juicy and with that delicious oatmeal crunch on top, hands down best blueberry pie I’ve EVER HAD! And frozen blueberries are just fine, put them in the fridge the day before and STRAIN ALL JUICES! Trust me on that one, and be sure to have some good quality vanilla ice cream on hand because that combination will send you! -CK 2.0

Crust:

  • Traditional 9″ Pie Crust – we like King Family Pie Crust the best, but make or buy whatever crust you like and line a 9 inch pan.

Filling:

  • 6 cups blueberries fresh (or frozen works too as long as you thaw them and drain ALL the juices.  You will probably need to measure 8 cups frozen because once they thaw the volume goes way down)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/3 cup sugar (I reduced because there is sugar in the streusel, but if your berries aren’t sweet go to 1/2)
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cardamon

Oat Crumble:

  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
  • 3/4 cups rolled oats
  • 1/3 cup all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon (if you don’t have the above spices, just increase cinnamon to 1/2)
  • 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes at room temperature

 

  1.  Make your crust and roll out into a 9″ pie pan.  Keep in fridge or freezer while you prepare your filling.
  2. To make the filling: Put the blueberries first in a strainer to make sure you have no extra juices, then place them in a bowl with the lemon juice and stir to coat.  Separately combine the sugar, flour, cinnamon and cardamon.  Mix them thoroughly then add them to the blueberries stirring until all combined.  Take filling out of bowl with a slotted spoon leaving any extra juices out of your filling.  Spread filling into prepared crust and put it in the refrigerator to set while you make your crumble.  The recipe says to let it set 30 minutes, but mine set up perfectly and it was only in there about 15.
  3. Set oven to 425.  To make the oat crumble stir together all the ingredients except the butter in a large bowl.  Sprinkle the butter pieces and toss to coat.  Rub the butter into the dry ingredients with your fingertips until the butter is incorporated and the mixture is chunky but not homogeneous.  Put on your pie and let chill for another 5 minutes or so.
  4. Bake (on a baking sheet if it looks pretty full so you don’t leak onto the oven) for 20 minutes at 425 then lower the temperature to 350 and bake for another 30-40 minutes, until the juices are bubbling and your crumble is a gorgeous brown.  I put a pie shield on my crust or you can put some little foils strips around the edge to avoid the crust getting too brown on the outside.  Cool on a wire rack at least 2 hours before slicing, then chill in the fridge.  Serve with a really thick vanilla ice cream and enjoy!

Blueberry Pie recipe adapted from Mrs. Rowe’s little book of Southern Pies and Oat Crumble from Four and Twenty Blackbirds Pie Book 

Berry Desserts, Pie, Uncategorized

Sour Apple Blackberry Hand Pies

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sour apple blackberry hand pies by twocarolines.com

The dark, mysterious, beautifully flavored and often misunderstood blackberry is the star of this show.  Nice firm and tart Granny Smith apples support the berries so things aren’t one note smooshy or soupy, but that gorgeous dark magenta berry bubbling out the top of these hand pies tastes like all that is right in the world.  I used this butter crust recipe, and you know I’m loyal to my shortening, but for a handpie where you’re going to need to handle the dough more and it takes more of a center stage, this dough worked out well,  but it is tougher to make and can be harder to work with so feel free to use a shortening dough if that’s what you prefer.  You can use other berries too, but this combo made for a sweet and sour flavor explosion of total and complete hand-pie joy!

Pâte Brisée (don’t be freaked out by the name, it’s basically just a butter crust)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
extra flour for dusting
1 egg lightly beaten for tops of pies
demera or raw sugar for sprinkling

Apple Berry Filling:

2 granny smith apples peeled and diced into 1 inch cubes
2 1/2 cups blackberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 cup granulated sugar (I thought this was the perfect amount of sweetness, but you can use a little more if you want your pies less sweet)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon cardamom

 

 

  1. First make the Pâte Brisée or crust.  In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt; pulse to combine. Add butter, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds. (To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut in butter with a pastry blender.)
  2. With machine running, add ice water through feed tube in a slow, steady stream, just until dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Do not process more than 30 seconds. Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together; if it is still too crumbly, add a bit more water, 1 tablespoon at a time.

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    unbaked hand pies by twocarolines.com
  3. Turn out dough onto a clean work surface. Divide in half, and place each half on a piece of plastic wrap. Shape into flattened disks. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight. (The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month; thaw overnight in the refrigerator before using.)
  4. To make the filling in a medium bowl, add apples, blackberries, lemon, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and cardamom; stir to combine, set aside.
  5. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Line two baking sheets with Silpats (a French nonstick baking mat) or parchment paper. 
  6. On a lightly floured work surface, roll one half of dough into a large rectangle, about 1/8-inch-thick. Using a 5-inch cookie cutter, cut out 6 rounds. Transfer rounds to prepared baking sheet. I used a small bowl and just traced around it with a knife because I don’t have a large cookie cutter – I think mine was just short of 5 inches.
  7. Place about 3 or so tablespoons of the apple/berry mixture onto one round – use a slotted spoon and leave any juices in the bowl so you don’t get soupy pies. Lightly brush egg around the edge of each round. Take another dough round and put it on top.  Gently press edges together to seal. I then took a fork to the edge for decoration, do what you think looks cool.  Brush the tops of each pie with egg. Using a paring knife, slash the top of each pie. Sprinkle generously with raw or demera sugar.
  8. Repeat this process with second half of dough and remaining filling on second baking sheet.I was able to make 8 total, but you can use less filling and roll them over into half moons to make more.
  9. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer pies to a wire rack to cool slightly before serving. Or let cool completely, and store in an airtight container at room temperature up to 4 days.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart strawberry hand pies