Blueberry Pies

Oh, blueberry pie! How easy you are to make! I really don't know why I don't make you more often. Maybe there are other pies that compete with you like strawberry or peach. How silly of them since there is no slicing involved except to serve you. 

Mini Blueberry Pies
7 cups fresh wild blueberries, picked over and cleaned
1 cup sugar plus additional for sprinkling
3 Tbsp all purpose flour, plus more for the work surface
pinch of coarse salt
2 pie crust dough
2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, flour, and salt.
3. Gently toss to coat the blueberries. Set aside.
4. On a floured work surface, roll out one pie crust dough to about 1/8 inch thickness.
5. Take a large glass and cut out circles.
6. In a cupcake tin, place each circle in the individual cups.
7. Spoon the blueberry filling on top of the dough in the cupcake tin until it reaches just below the edge of the dough.
8. Dot a little of the butter on top of the blueberry filling.
9. Roll out the other pie crust dough to about 1/8 inch thickness. 
10. Cut out desired shapes and place over each blueberry filling. Press down lightly to seal.
11. Bake the pies about 30 minutes and golden brown.
12. Remove the cupcake tin from the oven and allow the pies to cool before serving since the filling is very hot.

Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart Living 2002 Annual Recipes.

Did you already know...
-During the Civil War, blueberries were canned and shipped to the Union Troops.
-In Maine, wild blueberries are grown on over 60,000 acres.
-The bilberry is a cousin of the blueberry.

 I hope you have a wonderful week even though it is Monday!

Hand Pies

We did make it to the beach with no rain for the 4th of July. We even had no problem finding parking. Every time my children enter the cold Maine ocean water, I really expect them to come out blue. Not even their lips were blue so I know they are true Maineiacs. I may have been born in New England but I won't even put my toe into the New England ocean. I can say I have done it hence why I won't do it again.

 In Maine, it is strawberry picking time around the 4th of July. Since I had fresh strawberries, I decided to make Rebecca Rather's Fourth of July Fried Pies. I also made the cherries and blueberries. My favorite was the blueberry. My youngest daughter's favorite was the cherry but my mother in law liked the strawberry. The recipe in the book even had peaches. This time, I decided to bake the pies but next time I will definitely try frying them.

Fruit filling
1 cup fresh fruit (I tried strawberries, blueberries, and cherries)
1/2 cup fruit preserve to match the fresh fruit used

Directions:

1. In a bowl, combine the fruit with their matching preserves. Set aside.

Dough
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 1/2 cups ice water
1 large egg
2 Tbsp water

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
3. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
4. Work the butter into the flour mixture until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
5. Add the ice water and gently form the dough into a ball.
6. Divide the dough into thirds.
7. Lightly flour a clean surface and roll out each portion of the dough to 1/16th inch thickness.
8. Cut the dough into 5 inch diameter circles.
9. Place 1 Tbsp of the desired filling in the center of each dough round.
10. Fold the rounds in half and with wet fingers press the edges to seal using water.
11. Crimp the edges of each hand pie with the tines of a fork.
12. Beat the egg and water together to make an egg wash.
13. Lightly brush the tops of each hand pie with the egg wash.
14. Bake the pies for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Toppings:
Sprinkle with powder sugar.
Recipe adapted from the Pastry Queen cookbook.

Did you already know... 
-The first fruit to ripen in the Spring are strawberries.
-There are about 200 seeds in one strawberry.
- Strawberries and roses belong to the Biological classification Rosaceae family.