Pie and Pastry Bible (33 page)

Preheat the oven to 425°F. at least 20 minutes before baking.

Line the pastry with parchment, pleating it as necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with rice or dried beans. Bake for 20 minutes. Carefully lift out the rice or beans with the parchment. With a fork, prick the bottom and sides and bake 5 to 10 minutes more or until the crust is pale golden. Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have formed.

Cool the crust on a rack for 3 minutes, so it is no longer piping hot, then brush the bottom and sides with the egg white.

Measure out 1 cup of the blueberries, choosing the softest ones. Place them in a medium saucepan together with the ½ cup water. Cover and bring them to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Set it aside.

When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries.

Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust.

Just before serving, if desired, pipe or spread the whipped cream around the sides of the pie, leaving the center unadorned and brilliantly glistening.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 2 days (without the whipped cream).

NOTE

The low amount of sugar in this pie maintains the tart freshness of the berries. Taste the berries before you begin. If they are very tart, increase the sugar by a few tablespoons.

DEEP-DISH BLUEBERRY/CRANBERRY INTERNET PIE

M
y cousin Sue brought this pie to our family Thanksgiving. She said she got the recipe on the Internet. A little research turned up that it was the first pie to appear on the Internet and that the recipe was created by Sarah Leah Chase. This was no surprise, as I have long admired Sarah’s daring taste sensibilities.

Because there is so much juicy fruit filling in this pie, it will flow a little if served the same day. I prefer to bake the pie the day before to make serving easier and avoid adding more starch thickener, but no one seems to object either way.

This is a very exciting pie. The crust remains crisp and crunchy for three days. The colors are brilliant and the flavors incredibly bright, clear and intense.

EQUIPMENT

A 9½-inch Pyrex deep-dish pie plate

OVEN TEMPERATURE: 375°F. • BAKING TIME 60 TO 70 MINUTES SERVES: 6
INGREDIENTS	MEASURE	WEIGHT
VOLUME	OUNCES	GRAMS
*Although the package states 12¼ ounces, there are actually 12 ounces.
Basic Flaky Pie Crust for a 2-crust 9-inch pie (page 23)		approx. 21 ounces	595 grams
sugar	1½ cups	10.5 ounces	300 grams
cornstarch	cup (dip and sweep method)	1.6 ounces	46 grams
finely grated lemon zest	1 tablespoon	0.25 ounce	6 grams
freshly squeezed lemon juice	3 tablespoons	1.6 ounce	47 grams
salt	a pinch	•	•
frozen blueberries	2 packages	1½ pounds	680 grams
fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed, picked over, and dried	1 package* (3½ cups)	12.25 ounces	347 grams
Glaze heavy cream or milk	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	15 grams
sugar	1 tablespoon	0.5 ounce	12 grams

Make the dough (page 23).

Remove the dough for the bottom crust from the refrigerator. If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll.

On a floured pastry cloth or between two sheets of lightly floured plastic wrap, roll the bottom crust
inch thick or less and large enough to cut a 13-inch circle. Transfer it to the pie pan, easing it in to fit up against the sides. Trim, if necessary, to ¼ inch past the edge of the pan. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for a minimum of 30 minutes and a maximum of 3 hours.

In a large nonreactive saucepan, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt. Add the blueberries and cranberries and toss to coat them well. Allow the mixture to sit for about 30 minutes or until a little liquid starts to form.

Cook the berries over medium heat, stirring constantly, until very thickened and some of the berries are just beginning to burst, about 8 to 10 minutes after it comes to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool completely, without stirring, about 1 hour.

Transfer the berry mixture to the pie shell.

Roll out the top crust large enough to cut a 12-inch circle. Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a sharp knife as a guide to cut the circle.

Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and place the top crust over the fruit. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust border and press down all around the top to seal it. Reroll the scraps no more than
inch thick and cut them into decorative shapes. Brush the top crust with the cream or milk and arrange the decorative pieces on top of it, overlapping them slightly. Brush them with the remaining cream or milk and sprinkle all over with the sugar.

Cover the pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 1 hour before baking to chill and relax the pastry. This will maintain flakiness and help to keep the crust from shrinking.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. at least 20 minutes before baking. Set one oven rack at the lowest level and one at the highest level and place a baking stone or baking sheet on the lower rack before preheating.

To make a steam vent use a small cutter, the bottom of a pastry tube, or a knife to cut a small hole (about 1 inch) in the middle of the top crust. Lift out the cut round of pastry and discard it. Set the pie directly on the stone and bake for 40 minutes. Transfer the pie to the upper rack and continue baking for 20 to 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. (The filling will not bubble.) After 1 hour, protect the edges from overbrowning with a foil ring (see page 19).

Cool the pie on a rack for at least 6 hours before serving.

STORE

Room temperature, up to 3 days.

NOTE

I find that in my oven it works well to bake this pie for the first 40 minutes directly on the floor of the oven instead of the bottom shelf.

POINTERS FOR SUCCESS

For ease in cutting the decorative scraps, flour both sides of the pastry well. If the dough is not firm enough to hold the shapes well, cover it with plastic wrap and freeze or refrigerate it briefly. Flour the cutter before cutting each piece. Cutters that are open on both ends are easiest for releasing the dough.

This pie is baked at a lower temperature than most to keep the raised decorations from burning. If the decorations are not used, the pie can be baked at 425°F. for 45 minutes. (Transfer it to the upper oven rack when the bottom crust is nicely browned.)

UNDERSTANDING

Frozen blueberries work well for this filling because they release their juices more quickly than fresh ones, but fresh blueberries are fine to use as well.

RED CURRANT PIE

T
here is no fruit more beautiful to behold than currants ripening on a bush. The tiny, translucent bright red orbs glow in the sunlight, revealing their clusters of seeds within. Most people find currants disappointingly bitter when eaten off the bush, which is why the nursery where I buy my trees offered me the hundred-year-old currant bush that came with their property! Most people don’t know what to do with this tempting fruit, so they leave it for the appreciative birds. But once you taste this juicy pie, with clear red fruit that seems to explode in your mouth with wild flavor, you will look forward to currant season each summer with as much excitement as I do. The juiciness of this pie causes enough buildup of steam during baking to open the steam vent slashes in the top, creating a flower petal effect.