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| blueberry pie in the artistic Hamilton sunlight |
Between moving cities, having an awesome holiday and blogger acting up I have been on an inadvertent hiatus. Not that I have stopped cooking or eating for enjoyment, I think I could retell the past couple of months through recipes and food photographs. Alas I am currently without Internet on my laptop but I really wanted get back into blogging, hence this photo-less post.
Of course photos will be put up when all things are back up and running. This is a recipe for an impromptu pie I made that highlights one of the good things about living in Hamilton - pick your own blueberry farms! Getting full on blueberries is awesome and gives you a blue tongue.
The pie is reminiscent of a no-bake cheesecake and the cinnamon is subtle but adds a well-rounded warmth. Considering I made this in a kitchenette with a toaster over and no rolling pin, I would classify it as rather simple yet sophisticated in flavor. Any sweet shortcrust pastry will work, the one I used was flavored with vanilla, almond and lemon.
Fresh blueberry and cinnamon mascarpone pie
Makes 1 20cm pie
Sweet shortcrust pastry
Makes enough for 2 pies
3c flour
1tsp salt
226g butter, diced into 1cm pieces
1c sugar
1 egg
1/4tsp almond extract
2Tb lemon juice
2Tb pure vanilla extract
1. Mix together flour, salt and sugar.
2. Rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture looks sandy.
3. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to make a dough, this may require a tablespoon or two of water.
4. Divide the mixture into 2 equal portions. Press one of these into a 20cm pie pan.
5. Bake blind at 175 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes, until it is a bit past golden brown.
6. Cool completely before filling. The remaining dough can be refrigerated for a week or frozen (well-wrapped) for a month.
Fresh blueberry filling
Makes enough for 1 pie
2c fresh blueberries
1Tb sugar
1Tb cornstarch
1/4c water
1tsp vanilla
1tsp lemon juice
1. Put half the berries in a pot with the sugar. Combine the water and cornstarch and add these to the pot as well. Bring to a boil while stirring continuously until the mixture has thickened.
2. Remove from heat, stir in the remaining ingredients and refrigerate overnight before assembling the pie.
Cinnamon mascarpone cream
Makes enough for 1 pie
1.5c mascarpone
3Tb sugar
1/2tsp cinnamon
1. Mix everything together until homogenous.
Assembly
1. Spread the cream onto the tart shell.
2. Cover with the chilled blueberry topping.
I think covering the pastry shell with melted dark chocolate would elevate this pie further, though it is hard to improve on fresh, ripe blueberries to begin with.
