Our small town fair is at the end of this month, and I’m trying to narrow down what I’m going to enter. The past few months, I’ve been working to strengthen my “pimp hand” in the pie department – and am proud of how far I’ve come. For someone who used to pull her hair out rolling out a pie crust, now I find myself cool as a cucumber making pies – whether it’s a fruit or creme filling.

The boys and I went blueberry picking last week. I was surprised at what good pickers the boys have turned out to be. At 5, I knew Andrew would be a big help. But, I wasn’t holding out much hope for William. I figured I’d have to go through his bucket and pick out all the less-than-desirable berries. But upon further inspection, he’d only picked the ripest, bluest of berries! We made blueberry pancakes the next morning, and then a blueberry pie that night. It’s always such a treat to make things with the fruit that you’ve harvested yourself!

This pie was declared “the best pie” Jon’s ever eaten, and my cupcake guinea pig Jamie said that it tasted just like her mom’s blueberry pie – which trust me, is an honor. The addition of lemon zest and juice ads a brightness, and cuts some of the sweetness. I also like the cornstarch as a thickener. I’d tried a recipe that used ground tapioca starch in the past, but I felt like the cornstarch held up much better when cut. While a bit of juice oozed out, the pie was still perfectly stuffed with blueberry filling after cutting.

I’m pretty sure this will be an entry in our local fair this year. Without a doubt, it’s blue ribbon worthy!

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Blueberry Pie

2 rolled-out rounds of basic pie dough (homemade or store-bought)
4 cups blueberries
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, strained
3/4 cup sugar
4 Tbsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp finely grated lemon zest
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Fold 1 dough round in half and carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Unfold and ease the round into the pan, without stretching it, and pat it firmly into the bottom and up the sides of the pan. Using kitchen scissors, trim the edge of the dough, leaving 3¿4 inch of overhang. Set the dough-lined pan aside, along with the other dough round, in a cool place until ready to use.

Place the blueberries in a large bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice and toss to coat evenly. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to distribute evenly. Immediately transfer to the dough-lined pan. Dot with the butter.

Fold the reserved dough round in half and carefully position it over half of the filled pie. Unfold and trim the edge neatly, leaving 1 inch of overhang, then fold the edge of the top round under the edge of the bottom round and crimp the edges to seal. Using a small, sharp knife, cut an asterisk 4 to 5 inches across in the center of the top to allow steam to escape during baking.

Refrigerate the pie until the dough is firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.

Bake the pie until the crust is golden and the filling is thick and bubbling, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to set, 1 to 2 hours. Serve at room temperature or rewarm in a 350°F oven for 10 to 15 minutes just before serving.

Source: adapted from Williams-Sonoma, via Annie’s Eats

They say nothing is as American as cherry pie. Or is it apple? I’ve been baking a lot of my pies in my kitchen as of late. I don’t know if it’s that I’m finally comfortable working with pie dough, or the abundance of gorgeous fruits available right now (finally starting to see some local peaches!). However, one filling I’d yet to tackle was cherry.

Most cherry pie recipes call for tart or sour cherries, which are impossible to find – fresh or frozen – in my rural area. I did find canned, but I couldn’t justify that with gorgeous fresh sweet cherries available in the produce department for under $3/lb. A quick internet search led to a recipe from Martha that utilized the gorgeous in-season beauties. Turned out wonderfully – cut beautifully, and the filling was absolutely delicious…not too sweet. Paired with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, it’s the quintessential summer dessert.

I couldn’t think of a better way to say “Happy Birthday” to our country than this. Today we’re spending the day with our little family, heading to the beach by the rocket pads in a bit – then dinner with the parents. Looks like NASA will be launching two sounding rockets today – a couple of early candles for the old girl before the fireworks show on our little coastal island tonight…along with what I feel like is half the Eastern seaboard (holy tourons!). Ahh, a small price to pay for being able to call this place home. Happy Fourth, everyone!

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Sweet Cherry Pie

2 (9-inch) pie crusts
2 pounds sweet cherries (Bing or Ranier), pitted and halved
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
All-purpose flour, for rolling
1 large egg yolk, beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
1 Tbsp turbinado or granulated sugar, for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in lowest position. On a floured piece of parchment paper, roll one disk of dough to a 14-inch round. Wrap dough around rolling pin; unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and sides of plate (do not stretch dough). Using kitchen shears, trim dough to a 1-inch overhand all around.

In a large bowl, combine cherries, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice; toss until cherries are coated. Pour into prepared bottom crust.

Roll out second piece of dough to 12-inch disk and place over filling. Trim top and bottom edges to 1/2-inch beyond pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that folded edge is flush with pan lip. Flute edging or press with fork tines to seal. Cut four slits on dough top. Brush egg wash onto top of crust and sprinkle evenly with turbandino sugar.

Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until filling is bubbling rapidly all over, 60 to 70 minutes (tent with aluminum foil when crust starts to brown, about 40 minutes). Transfer pie to a wire rack, and let cool to room temperature, at least 3 hours.

Source: adapted from Martha Stewart

Cherries. Glorious cherries. It’s rare that I get to actually make anything with them, as they usually get eaten within hours of bringing them home from the grocery store. But on rare occasions it does happen, and the results that ensue are usually out of this world.

Case in point? This Black Forest Tart. A rich chocolate crust, a light fluffy whipped cream filling, and plenty of delicious roasted cherries. Roasting fruit is a great way to reduce the water content, and intensifying flavor at the same time. That way you don’t end up with a waterlogged tart!

For as decadent and over-the-top as it looks, it was surprisingly light to the palette. Which, is perfect for these hot summer evenings when you want something sweet – but don’t want something that’s sure to weigh you down. And, let me just advise to go ahead and make the homemade chocolate syrup. It’s pure perfection drizzled over this dessert. You won’t regret it, I promise.

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Black Forest Tart

For the tart shell:
1 large egg yolk
1 tbsp. heavy cream
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
1/4 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
2/3 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
8 tbsp. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

For the filling:
4 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved
3-4 tbsp. sugar
1 cup heavy cream
3 tbsp. confectioners’ sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
chocolate syrup, for drizzle

To make the tart shell, whisk together the egg yolk, cream and vanilla in a small bowl; set aside. Place the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Process briefly to combine. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; process to cut the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about fifteen 1-second pulses. (Note: This can just as easily be done with a stand mixer or by hand with a pastry cutter.) With the machine running, add the egg mixture and process until the dough just comes together, about 12 seconds. Turn the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press into a 6-inch disc. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 48 hours.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator. (If refrigerated for more than an hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable.) Unwrap and roll the dough out on a lightly floured surface to a 13-inch round. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch tart pan. Mold the dough to the sides of the tart pan and remove the excess off the top. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a large plate and freeze for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to middle position. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Set the dough-lined tart pan on a baking sheet, press a 12-inch square of foil into the frozen shell and over the edge, and fill with pie weights. Bake for 30 minutes, rotating halfway through the baking time. Remove from the oven and carefully remove the foil and weights. Continue to bake until deep golden brown, 5-8 minutes longer. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Increase the oven temperature to 450 F. Combine the cherries and sugar in a baking dish. Toss to combine. Bake for about 10 minutes, until the cherries have softened slightly and start to release their juices. Let the cherries cool completely before assembling the tart.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the heavy cream and confectioners’ sugar. Whip on medium-high speed until medium-stiff peaks form. Blend in the vanilla. Spoon about two-thirds of the roasted cherries into the cooled tart shell to form an even layer. Top with the whipped cream and smooth into an even layer over the cherries. Spoon the remaining cherries over the top of the whipped cream. If desired, drizzle a bit of chocolate syrup over the top. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Source: Annie’s Eats