Yes We Can (Bake Pie)

Yesterday I wrote a guest post on Going Home to Roost called DIY: Easy-as-Pie Crust. The whole project started when I received this little quote in an email forward about aprons:

"Remember: Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool.  Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill to thaw."

I thought, "Hey! We can too, bake real pies!" It's true that most of us don't because we are working outside of the home now, and frozen pies and pie shells are so convenient. The truth is, I've never made a pie from scratch before, but I just don't make pies, period. It is a skill that my grandma knew well, and she would often be making more than one kind of pie at a time. I loved her pies (especially the lemon meringue!), and it's a skill I want to have for my children and grandchildren as well.

So, pictured above is my first, 100% made-from-scratch pie - and it was amazing. So good that I had to send the second half of it with my husband to work, lest I eat the whole thing myself today. 

For the full instructions to make the pie crust, I'm directing you over to my guest post at Going Home to Roost (here) - I even provided vegan options. After you remove the pie crust from one hour in the fridge, come back here for the rest of the pie! 

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{Pie crust ingredients at Going Home to Roost}

Blueberry Pie Filling ingredients (adapted from Food.com - adjusted to my liking):

4 cups blueberries (2 pints) - I used frozen because fresh are too bitter right now
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

For top of pie:

1 egg, beaten

baker's sugar for sprinkling on top

directions

Combine 1 cup of blueberries with 3/4 cup sugar in a medium sauce pan. Heat until sugar melts completely.

While waiting for sugar to melt, combine water and cornstarch in a small bowl, mixing completely. Once the sugar is melted, add in the water/cornstarch mixture. 

Bring to a full boil on medium heat. Remove from heat, and pour into a large bowl. Once the blueberry/sugar mix has cooled to just "warm", stir in remaining blueberries, butter, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Let cool before adding to pie crust.

Assembling the pie

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. After one hour of refrigeration, remove pie dough and roll flat (1/8" or so thin) between two sheets of floured wax paper. This trick allowed me roll the dough very flat without the dough sticking to my rolling pin and tearing.

When dough is flattened nicely, lay the dough over your pie pan, gently pressing it into the sides and bottom. Cut excess dough of the edges of the pie with kitchen shears, leaving about an inch to fold over and pinch into the outer crust. 

Pour in the pie filling. Since this recipe is for two pie crusts, you can use the second for the top crust of the pie. I decided to give the lattice effect a try, and it was so fun! Simply cut the second rolled crust into strips about 3/4" thick. 

Weave strips of dough over and under, one-by-one, starting with the longest strips in the middle. If it looks confusing, check out this photo tutorial on About.com. 

Brush top pie crust with beaten egg, and sprinkle with baker's sugar (best choice for maintaining sparkle). I did not cover my pie. When putting the pie in the oven, lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees F. Bake for 20 minutes, then check crust. If crust is still white, yellow, or slightly brown, leave as is and bake another 20 minutes. If crust is already browning, wrap just the outer crust with strips of foil before baking for another 20 minutes. 

I let the pie cool for about 15 minutes, and it was better than I ever imagined it would be. My husband was generally against all fruit-based pies, saying "why have berries when you could have peanut butter or pecans?", but I have officially convinced him of the joy that is a blueberry pie.

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