Seth's Blueberry Pie ...p91

Blueberries....one would think one blueberry is just the same as another, but not so, my friend.  I've come to find out there is plenty of variety in blueberries much like there is in grapes.  Who would dream of calling a pinot noir, "cabernet sauvignon"?  Evidently just in the few varieties my girls are picking: powder blue, tiff, manditu, they are discovering the subtle distinctions that differentiate each blueberry.

In an attempt to "connect" with my fortunate daughter and her lovely friend,

who as I write, pick, sort and weigh blueberries on another continent, I made this wonderful blueberry pie.  I was very tempted to skip the crust-making part and substitute a nicely boxed pie crust beckoning from the refrigerator, but my integrity got the better of me and I followed Seth's recipe instead.

Let me say, this is one of the best pie crusts I've ever tasted, let alone one of the easiest to roll out.  Our critic is the consummate pie crust maker and always just goes by feel, trusting her touch to determine just the perfect combination of crisco, flour and water (iced).  I've never quite felt capable in that arena...but, with this recipe I could really feel its proportionate perfection.  I've never used an egg in a pie crust recipe, nor would I dream of adding vinegar, but that is exactly what this crust recipe calls for!  And shocker, cool water is ok.  I don't have to worry about the little unmelted pieces of ice that drop into my batter and cause a gooey pull-away area.

Very happy was I that I went homemade for this crust.  It enveloped a perfectly sweetened blueberry filling with a hint of cinnamon.   So, I've gotta ask:  Seth, have you ever made this pie???

Certainly this would be a great addition to the Trout & Chicken menu, but I bet my Kiwi girls (who I call "NewZies" in honor of my girls' favorite cult movie) could show us all a thing or two about cooking with blueberries...I only wish they could crate a carton or two for me. 

The critic and I completely agree on this pie....one of the best ever.  Delicioso!

Hardy Appetit!

Crumb Topped Blueberry Cake ...p98

This morning, I awoke with a sweet tooth, you know, the one deprived since finishing off the last of our Christmas baking on New Year's Day....

I perused our "Cooking Up Family History" cookbook for a coffee cake.  I skipped over my favorite,  Wheat Germ Coffee Cake, because I wanted to try something new.  I found Crumb Topped Blueberry Cake under Cakes (as opposed to Breads where breakfast type cakes and breads are found) and decided it might make an excellent breakfast cake!  Super easy to prepare, this evoked "you need to call RE up and tell her how good this is!" from the critic, and led to a second piece for both mom and me!!!

before baking

after baking

Prior to dishing up that second piece, I asked mom if she wanted her coffee reheated, and, upon setting both our cups in the microwave, I discovered a 1/2 stick of butter still waiting to be melted and added to the cake batter!

"SHEESH!!!  That's RE's recipe!  What'd you do???"

What's gotten in to me?  I can't even follow a simple recipe these days that would allow me to accurately comment!  So, in the future I will update you on what differences adding that 1/2 stick of butter made to this cake.  Sans beurre, it was still delicious.....maybe it would make the texture more cake-like, as the texture "sans beurre" was very much like a coffee cake! Yes, it did satisfy my sweet tooth without being overly sweet, and, in this case, a lot less fattening (EUREKA!)

The recipe calls for chopped walnuts, and I just wanted to share my favorite way of chopping walnuts (apart from my Alaskan ULU knife and bowl!) - the handy dandy zip-lock bag way.

Which beckons me to ask you all to share with us YOUR favorite shortcuts.  Just email them to me at GENE-E and give me permission to print.

Hardy Appetit!