Blueberry Pie with a Cornmeal Crust #12

For the most part, I'm trying to turn over a new leaf in my life and follow recipes, but not really with this guy. I hyped up the lemon flavor in this pie. I'm sorry I didn't really follow it, but to be totally honest, I'm not that sorry. I loved this pie. I think it turned out very nicely, and in fact, if...no WHEN I make it again, I'm not going to change a thing (I mean, I'm not going to change the extra lemon).

I happen to think that lemons and blueberries are perfectly suited for one another so I couldn't resist adding extra lemon juice and a little bit of lemon peel. So sue me.

One of my favorite parts of the pie was the cornmeal crust (and I promise I didn't change a thing). It had a nice smell while it was cooking--something like sweet blueberry cornbread--and more importantly I really liked the taste. I think the cornmeal added a little more substance to the pie crust, but it was still flaky. Really, it was delicious. But enough about the crust, I really liked the whole thing. What more can I say? Make it!

Blueberry Pie with a Cornmeal Crust

Crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 cup cornmeal (preferably stone-ground, medium grind)

3 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks total) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/4 cup vegetable shortening, cold, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

4 tablespoons (or more) ice water

Filling:

5 cups fresh blueberries (about 27 ounces)

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons flour

2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Zest from one lemon

Milk (for brushing)

1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

For crust:
Blend flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in processor. Cut butter and shortening into mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add 4 tablespoons ice water; blend just until moist clumps begin to form, adding more ice water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball. Divide dough in half; flatten each half into disk. Wrap disks separately in plastic and chill at least 1 hour.

For filling:
Combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and zest in large bowl; toss to blend. Let stand at room temperature until juices begin to form, about 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place rimmed baking sheet in bottom of oven. Roll out 1 dough disk to 12-inch round. Line 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish with dough and gently press dough into pie dish, pressing any cracks together as needed to seal and leaving dough overhang. Spoon filling into pie crust.

Roll out second dough disk and carefully and evenly invert dough atop filling. Trim overhang of both crusts to 1 inch. Fold overhang under and press to seal. Crimp edges decoratively. Cut five 2-inch-long slits in top crust of pie to allow steam to escape during baking (or you can make a lattice crust like I did). Lightly brush top crust (not edges) with milk. Sprinkle with sugar.

Bake pie 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F and continue baking until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling thickly through slits, about 1 hour 15 minutes. Cool pie completely on rack. Cut into wedges and enjoy!

Strawberry Rhubarb #6

Okay, first things first, I don't believe in eating things that are out of season.

Even if the fanciest grocery store is selling watermelon in February I don't buy it because of principle (and price and taste...but mostly principle).

This new philosophy in my life came the day I cracked open the pages of the Omnivore's Dilemma. In a way, it's really screwed things up for me by prompting me to get to the farmer's market week after week to partake of their summer harvest, and has even stretched me to love beets and any other winter vegetable I can find during January and February. Not as easy as just buying what's at the store (but tastier).

Any way, why am I telling you this?

Because I believe that food tastes better and is better for you when it's not shipped from Guatalawherever or grown in some hormone-injected fruit factory.

That's something I've been meaning to say for awhile now for many reasons, but mostly because I wanted to explain why I've been making creamy/custard/chocolate pies instead of fruit pies: It's not that they're in season, but technically, they're not out of season.

In any case, I feel like I have to push my beliefs out on the forefront of this post because of this: A Strawberry Rhubarb pie when neither are in season? What's that all about?

Here's the thing, I'm making these pies for my husband...and it was Valentine's Day...and you know what his favorite pie is?
Rhubarb pie

So when I found frozen rhubarb in the freezer section of my new supermarket, I got a little excited about a frozen fruit experiment...and it didn't hurt that it was a lovely color of red too.

And so I give you: (frozen) Strawberry (and frozen) Rhubarb pie.

Or as Ryan called it: "The Jamba Juice Pie" which, if you think about it, is appropriately named. It tangy, it's fruity, it tastes like summer, and at some point, it was frozen.

Oh, and did I mention? The experiment worked. It was delicious.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie
(adapted to accommodate frozen fruit for those winter months when you need something a little different)

Filling:
3 cups frozen strawberries (slightly thawed and halved or thickly sliced)
3 cups cut rhubarb (slightly thawed)
1 cup sugar
5 tablespoons flour
1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest
1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened butter, cold and cut into pieces
1 tablespoon sugar, to dust top

Bubby's Butter & Shortening Crust
(8-10 Inch Double Crust)
6 Tablespoons ice cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
7 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter
4 Tablespoons cold shortening

Directions
Measure out the water for the crust and chill it in the freezer while preparing the rest of the crust.

Measure out the flour (un-sifted) by leveling off dry measuring cups, and add the flour to large bowl. Add the salt to the flour and give it a quick stir to combine evenly.

Cut cold butter and cold shortening into cubes and add to flour mixture. Coat butter and shortening with flour and with a pastry cutter, cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.

Add cold water and use hands to form the dough into a two balls or disks. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.

When dough is chilled, Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.

Run frozen fruit under warm water to partially thaw fruit and drain all excess water. If needed, slice the rhubarb and strawberries and place in large bowl.

Cover the fruit with the sugar, flour, zest and salt. Toss lightly and be careful of mashing or breaking the fruit chunks but also separate any fruit that may still be frozen together.

Roll out 1 dough disk in to a 10-inch round and line your 9-inch pie dish with it.

Place the mixture into the pie pan. Dot the pie with the butter slices. Roll out top crust and cover pie filling with top crust, crimping the tops and bottoms so that the pie is well sealed. If not using a lattice crust cut steam vents into the pie.

Brush the top crust with milk and dust with the sugar.

Place the pie on a jelly roll to catch drippings. Bake the pie for 10 minutes or until the top crust appears dry and lightly blistered.

Reduce the cooking heat to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 50-60 minutes (or if using fresh fruit 30-40 minutes) or until the fruit mixture thickly bubbles in the middle of the pie. Pie crust should be golden and flaky.

Allow pie to cool completely before serving.