CLASSIC BLUEBERRY PIE

Rich, golden brown, flaky crust gives way to deep, dark, delicious berryness. 
Yes.  Yes, please!

I couldn't wait.  I just couldn't wait, for berry season. Some things are worth jumping the gun for.  Blueberry Pie is definitely one of those things.  Well, for us, it is.

There are pie people and there are cake people.  Don't get me wrong, I like cake, for sure.  Sometimes, a lot.  But I am a bonafide pie people.  Hailing from a good, long line of pie people.

In fact, even though it's been many, many years since family or close friends have been able to partake of a slice of my Mom's apple pie, I bet you, every single person who was lucky enough to have had a slice of that pie, cannot remember without very softly reflecting, "Whoooeee, that was the best apple pie I have ever had".  'Tis true.

See, told you were are pie people.

Geez though, let me tell you, it's a very daunting challenge to try measure up to.  Mom set that (pie) bar awfully damn high.  She likely didn't even know that the gauntlet was thrown.  But I knew it.

Many life chapters later, I'm rather pleased that I can now, almost every time, make pastry for my pies that would put a little sparkle in those green eyes of Mom's.  I mean, after all, if you don't get that pastry happy.....flaky, rich, tender, golden brown, then there's really no sense in making pies.  Right?

You know what else?  There's just something about pie making that's really cool.  There's this easy, simple, straightforward satisfaction that whispers inside when you pull a perfect pie out of the oven.  Timeless, just like pies are. 

I mean, look........just look.....

But of course, the crust is only half the battle.  Admittedly, a tricky half.  But the filling completes the objet d'art. And must be, well, just plain ol' delicious.

Simple mandate for fruit pies: Sensational fruit, simple prep = sublime results.  Most often with fruit/berry fillings the only so called fiddling required is to add the right amount of flour, cornstarch or tapioca to ensure a perfect 'set'. 

That's it, the winning combination where flaky crust meets juicy berries and our tastebuds want to linger.  Or do the Cha-cha!

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Thanks oodles Mom for making me a pie people. 
And once again, big thank-yous to Ann at Thibeault's Table
for her always deliciously inspirational recipes.

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CLASSIC BLUEBERRY PIE - One 9-inch pie

4 - 5 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar (or Stevia in the Raw - works perfectly in this recipe!!!)
4 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons melted butter
2 tablespoons fresh squeezed lemon juice
Milk, sugar
Pastry for double crust

Line 9-inch pie plate (I use a deep dish) with pastry.

Mix together blueberries, 3/4 cup sugar, flour, melted butter and lemon juice; pour into pie crust. Cover with pastry and cut a few slashes in top; or cut pastry into strips and prepare lattice top.  Seal edges well and flute. Brush lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake in 425°F oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350°F and bake about 40 minutes longer or until crust is golden, and berries are bubbly.  Remove from oven to cool.  Ha-cha-cha!

JUDI'S PASTRY

2 1/2 cups flour
2 tablespoons sugar
scant teaspoon salt
1 cup cold lard, cut into cubes
1/2 cup ice water, mixed with 1 tablespoon white vinegar

In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar and salt.  Add cold cubed lard and, using your fingers, work the lard into the flour mixture.  Keep breaking the lard down into the flour, until mostly evenly distributed, with some of the pieces resembling oat flakes and some about the size of peas.  Add ice water and vinegar mixture.  Use a fork to bring dough together.

Plop half the pastry onto a well floured work surface.  It will be moist, just as it should be.  Keep your work surface and top of the pastry floured, as you roll pastry into a large round, to fit pie plate.  Rotate dough circle as you go, and add additional flour as needed to keep from sticking.  Gently lift round into pie plate to form bottom crust.

Roll out the top crust as you did the bottom crust, moving dough across the floured surface every once in awhile, and creating roughly a 13-inch circle.

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