Blueberry and Peach Pie

Finally (!), I am getting around to bolgging about the delicious pie that Leslie and I made after we had our lasagna. My Grandma combines blueberries and peaches in her pies, and I honestly think it is one of the best flavor combos, ever. Blueberries are my favorite, but the peaches have such a mellow and sweet taste, they really bring something wonderful to the pie. In fact, when I told my G-ma that I was making blueberry pie, her first response was "With peaches, right?" to which I replied, "Of COURSE!".

We used a recipe online from Whisk-Kid who used variations of recipes from both All Recipes and Fannie Farmer. I don't have as many pictures for this blog as I would like. I had downloaded a ton but must have saved some of them in the wrong folder and can't find them.... I do have a good amount but I'm still annoyed with myself!

Pie Crust via Fannie Farmer

Makes enough for 1 double-crust 9" pie.

2 Cups flour
1 tsp. salt
1/3 Cup shortening, chilled
1/3 Cup butter, frozen
4 Tbls cold water (may need more or less) *We used about double this amount of water.

Mix flour and salt. Add chilled shortening and place in freezer.

Cooking Tip: When measuring flour there are several methods. You are not supposed to pack it in your measuring cup! Betty Croker tells you to use a dipping method, where you dip your measuring cup directly into the flour until heaping, then level with a knife or other straight utensil. Do not pack it in! Another method (I've seen things online that tell you not to do this, but I really alternate between the two methods and think both work) is to use a spoon to scoop the flour into the cup. Level with a knife, and again, do not pack it in.

On a chilled plate, grate butter with a cheese grater using the larger holes. Add to shortening and press mixture gently with fingers until it resembles coarse crumbs.

Add water a little at a time, mixing with your hands. Our dough was very dry, so we used about 8 Tbs, which is twice what this recipe calls for. I was nervous about using too much water, but it worked out!

Compress into a ball (try not to knead too much!) and flatten into two equal-sized disks. Wrap well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least two hours (or up to a week).

While dough is chilling, being your pie filling.

Blueberry Pie adapted from All Recipes

1 1/8 Cups sugar
4 Tbls + 1 1/2 tsp cornstarch
3/8 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
5 Cups fresh blueberries
2 Cups peaches
zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbls lemon juice
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (above or your favorite)
1 1/2 Tbls butter
1 egg yolk + 1 Tbls water
Raw sugar for topping

Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl. The cornstarch acts as a thickener. My Grandma uses tapioca in her pies instead of cornstarch, and I'm not sure but I think I prefer the tapicoa. It might just be that I'm used to it, because using corn starch was fine.

 If you have a sense of humor, feel free to make a face like we did!

Use a wooden spoon to gently combine blueberries (we tossed them in flour), peaches, lemon zest and juice. Tossing blueberries in flour helps them to not sink while baking. Since this was a pie recipe, I'm not sure if it made a difference or why we did it (habit?)... but it worked out!

Mmm... this looked delish!

Once crust is chilled, preheat oven for 425 degrees.

I had no patience for rolling out the pie dough. It was dry and crumbly, so Leslie took over and I took a break in the next room with my wine while she rolled it out. (Patience is one virtue I sometimes do not have!)

Allow one half to set on a floured table for ten minutes before rolling, then roll, being sure to maintain a circular shape, and transfer to pie shell. Trim and tuck under edges, then dock bottoms and sides.

Pour filling into pie pan...

Dot with butter and cover with remaining pie crust, fluting (pinching together) edges. Poke holes using a fork to create a design. The holes will allow steam to escape while baking, so this step is not optional!

 

In a small bowl, combine egg yolk and water. Brush over pie and sprinkle with raw sugar.

 

Bake for about 50 minutes, setting a piece of aluminum foil over the top for the first 30, until crust is golden brown and juices appear slightly thickened.

I HIGHLY recommend putting some tin foily under the pan or on the bottom of your oven. The juices leaked out of the pie and made a mess of my oven floor!

Let the pie cool before cutting into it. Leslie fell asleep on the couch while the pie was cooking (granted, this was a few bottles of wine later and into the wee morning hours!) so we ended up letting it cool overnight. Her blog mentions one great perk of waiting... we got to take a picture of the pie in natural light!

The pie was juicy, delicious and a great consistancy. Give it a try, you'll love it!