Blueberry Season~
Thursday I went blueberry picking with one of my daughters and Noah~U~Pick~
It was so nice..I had a lot to do that day and questioned my reasoning but you never know when the opportunity will arise again..We got to Quinn Farm at about 10.AM.. and it was perfect timing..Hardly anyone there.People started arriving just before lunch..
They give you a 3 liter container for $13.00 and there is a $2.00 admittance fee..Noah and his mommy took a basket and so did I..
Rows upon rows of beautifully lush blueberry plants..
A few outbuildings..farm equipment..sweet little store..and animals to peek at and pet~!
Noah was a scream..because his mom's basket wasn't getting as full as mine as fast:)
You are allowed to snack on the bushes while picking..but Noah figured out it was easier to eat the ones in the basket:)
He kept saying:"These are Delicious"~:)
His mom kept saying Noah eat the ones on the bushes:)
With all due respect Noah helped fill his mommy's basket and mine:)
We spent about 2 hours and it flew by..
He enjoyed the labyrinth..as well as the berries..
My husband LOVES these blueberries..I had promised to make him a blueberry tart~
And of course I promised Noah to make him a pie~
He never forgets a thing ..I knew I would be held to my word:)
So yesterday..Friday..not a particularly pretty day here..I set out to make good my promises..W/ a usual tart..
But for the pies..I decided to try a new recipe and I chose Dorie Greenspan's..from her wonderful book..
Baking..From My Home To Yours..
They are so good..I made 2 little pocket hearts..and 5 mini pies..I hope he liked his monogram:)
AS for me? I have been enjoying them by the handful..and in my yogurts..
I will make something else..but not sure what yet.
I hope we get to go back next yr.
It was such a pleasant morning.Loved it~
La Recette~
Filling 2 1/2 pints fresh
blueberries (5 cups) 1 cup sugar, or a little more, to taste, plus more for
dusting 1/2 cup all purpose flour 1 pinch salt 1/2 lemon, zest of, Coarsely
grated 1 dash fresh lemon juice, or a little more, to taste 1/4 cup dry bread,
crumbs (you can use packaged unseasoned crumbs) 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp
of water, for egg wash sugar, for dusting Directions: 1 FOR THE PIE DOUGH: Put
the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, pulse
just to combine the ingredients. Drop in the butter and shortening and pulse
only until the butter and shortening are cut into the flour. Don't overdo the
mixing- what you're aiming for is to have some pieces the size of fat green
peas and others the size of barley. Pulsing the machine on and off, gradually
add about 6 tbsps of the water- add a little water and pulse once, add some
more water, pulse again and keep going that way. Then use a few long pulses to
get the water into the flour. If, after a dozen or so pulses, the dough doesn't
look evenly moistened or form soft curds, pulse in as much of the remaining
water as necessary, or even a few drops more, to get a dough that will stick
together when pinched. Big pieces of butter are fine. Scrape the dough out of
the bowl and onto a work surface. 2 Divide the dough in half. Gather each half
into a ball, flatten each ball into a disk and wrap each half in plastic.
Refrigerate the dough for at least 1 hour before rolling (if your ingredients
were very cold and you worked quickly, though, you might be able to roll the
dough immediately: the dough should be as cold as if it had just come out of the
fridge). 3 To Roll Out the Dough: Have a buttered 9 inch pie plate at hand. You
can roll the dough out onto a floured surface or between sheets of wax paper or
plastic wrap or in a rolling slipcover. If you're working on a counter, turn
the dough over frequently and keep the counter floured. If you are rolling
between paper, plastic or in a slipcover, make sure to turn the dough over
often and to life the paper, plastic, or cover frequently so that it doesn't
roll into the dough and form creases. If you've got time, slide the rolled out
dough into the fridge for about 20 minutes to rest and firm up. 4 FOR THE PIE:
Butter a 9-inch Pyrex pie plate. Working on a well-floured surface (or between
wax paper or plastic wrap), roll out one piece of the dough to a thickness of
about 1/8th inch. Fit the dough onto the buttered pie plate and trim the edges
to a 1/2 inch overhang. Roll the other piece of dough into a 1/8 inch thick
circle and place it on a baking sheet lined with parchment or a silicone mat.
Cover both the circle and the pie plate with plastic wrap and refrigerate while
you pre-heat the oven and prepare the filling. 5 Getting Ready to Bake:
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
6 Put the berries in a large bowl and gently stir in the sugar, flour, salt,
zest and juice; let sit for about 5 minutes. Taste the filling and add more
sugar and/or lemon juice, if needed. 7 Remove the pie shell and top crust from
the refrigerator. Sprinkle an even layer of the breadcrumbs over the bottom of
the shell. Give the filling a last stir and turn it into the crust. 8 Using
your fingertips, moisten the rim of the bottom crust with a little cold water.
Center the top crust over the filling and gently press the top crust against
the bottom. Either fold the overhang from the top crust under the bottom crust
and crimp the edges attractively or press the top crust against the bottom
crust and trim the overhang from both crusts even with the rim of the pie
plate. If you've pressed and trimmed the crust, use the tines of a fork to
press the two crusts together securely. Using a small, sharp knife, cut 4 slits
in the top crust crust and cut a circle out of the center, then lift the plate
onto the baking sheet. (If you have time, refrigerate the pie for about 30
minutes. The pie can also be wrapped airtight and frozen for up to 2 months.
Glaze and sugar it before you put it in the over and add at least 15 minutes to
the baking time). 9 Brush the top crust with the egg wash, then sprinkle the crust
with a little sugar, just to give it sparkle. 10 Bake the pie for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 375 F, and bake the pie for another 30 minutes or so
(total baking time is about an hour) or until the crust is a beautiful golden
brown and the filling is bubbling up through the slits. If the crust seems to
be browning too quickly, make a loose foil tent for the pie. 11 Transfer the
pie to a rack and let it cool and settle for at least 30 minutes before serving.
My Notes~ I used my own pie dough..so I am only putting the filling recipe:)
Enjoy~
