Tag Archives: Wild Blueberries

Wild Blueberry and Peach Pie

I have a complicated relationship with pie. It’s not a category of baking I feel especially passionate about. Cookies and buttercream are more my love language. But my husband is a pie person. His mom used to bake him peach pies every summer. The last summer she was alive, she was quite ill, but lovingly baked him several pies, which he tucked away in the freezer, The following spring she died. We still had one peach pie left in the freezer. My husband could not bring himself to eat it. He got comfort from seeing that last peach pie, every time he opened the freezer door. I understood completely.

And then, the unthinkable happened. I accidentally left the freezer door ajar when we went away for a long weekend. We came home to puddles on the floor and a totally defrosted and smelly freezer. I felt terrible. He said all the right things, “It’s ok, it was just an accident, don’t worry about it….” but I felt terrible.

I now make him pies twice a year. An apple crumble pie in the fall for his birthday and a peach or peach and blueberry pie every summer. After 34 years, my pie making skills have improved. He greatly appreciates when I bake pie for him.

Here is how this summer’s version came together. Peaches and blueberries are a beautiful flavour combination. I love to use the tiny wild blueberries for this pie. It will still be perfectly delicious with regular cultivated blueberries if you can’t get wild ones. This year I did not even bother to peel the peaches. Turns out that the skins completely break down when baking, so no need to peel them.

I got extra fancy and made a lattice top and braided crust. You could, of course, omit the lattice and just do a plain lid. It will still be delicious. If you decide you want the braided edge, you’ll need to make an extra 1/2 recipe of pie dough.

My thickener of choice is Minute tapioca (also called instant tapioca). I find that cornstarch or flour make a cloudy filling. Tapioca makes for a thick and glossy filling that slices beautifully.

Please be patient and wait at least 4 hours for the pie to set and cool before slicing. You will be rewarded with picture perfect slices. A scoop of vanilla ice cream would not be overkill.

Click here to print recipe for Wild Blueberry and Peach Pie.

Wild Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

I last blogged about this cake 10 years ago and while the recipe has stood the test of time, my photography has not. Here are a few images from then. Don’t you just love a good makeover?

Chances are, unless you live in the northeastern area of North America, it is unlikely you have ever experienced the wonder of a fresh from the bush wild blueberry. They differ wildly (pun intended!) from their sibling, the cultivated blueberry. They are smaller, sweeter and more flavourful. The majority of them are frozen and used by commercial bakers all over North America. But, if you are lucky to live in The Maritime provinces, Ontario, Quebec or Maine, you will understand why I squeal with joy when they finally arrive in late July each summer.

In our increasingly global economy, where you can get anything at any time of year, fresh wild blueberries remain one of the few holdouts! They are only available late July-September. And for that I am grateful. There is something to be said for delayed gratification. Sure, you can get cultivated blueberries all year long, from other parts of the world, but nothing compares to the sweetness and burst of blueberry flavour that explodes in your mouth when you eat the wild ones.

I have only ever met one person who does not prefer the wild ones over the cultivated…my mom! She says the wild ones are too small. But I still love her anyways!

This cake is moist and dense thanks to the addition of sour cream. It is studded with tons of little blueberries and the topping is a crunchy concoction made from pecans, oats, butter, brown sugar, flour and maple syrup. And the crunch from the topping is still just as crunchy on day 2, should there be any leftovers.

There are those who believe that it is a crime to bake with wild blueberries. They are purists and feel that the wild ones should be saved for eating raw and that coercing them into a baked good is heresy. They postulate that only cultivated blueberries should be used for baking. To that group of extremists I say, “Try the grey stuff, it’s delicious!” If you have ever created a muffin or cake with cultivated blueberries, you know of the baking fiasco I refer to. They burst during baking  turning the whole cake a disgusting shade of greyish blue. Wild blueberries are well behaved. They hold their shape perfectly during baking and do not explode.

While each summer I certainly I eat more than my body weight in raw wild blueberries, mixed with Greek yogurt and Double Coconut Granola, I defend the right to use them in baked goods  as well.

You could also bake these in muffin tins as mini streusel coffee cakes. Just don’t let wild blueberry season pass without making these. If you can’t find fresh wild blueberries, frozen will be fine. No need to defrost. Loblaws (Canada) and Trader Joe’s (USA) both carry frozen wild blueberries.

Blueberry Maple Pie

There are many reasons to bake a pie.

  • To use up the extra fruit you so greedily bought at the farmer’s market.
  • To carry on family traditions.
  • To make your pie loving husband happy.
  • To fulfill your daily requirement of fruit. (And leftovers are perfect for breakfast)

But none of those reasons are why I baked this Blueberry Maple Pie. I’ll be honest, because we’re amongst friends here, right? I just wanted an excuse to buy a multi-wheel pastry cutter. They are the coolest kitchen tool ever!

The crust for this pie is buttery and supremely flaky. The recipe was created by Paul Arguin, winner of the 2017 National Pie Championship. Lots of butter, as you would expect, but just a small amount of shortening to aid in flakiness. There is also a minute amount of baking powder, contributing to the flaky texture. A few teaspoons of cider vinegar prevent excess gluten formation, assisting in preventing a tough crust. Finally, Paul added a hint of cinnamon and a spoonful of maple sugar to the crust for flavour. I can see why he was the 2017 champion.

The filling is sweetened entirely with maple syrup, no sugar. Lemon juice and zest add balance. If you can find wild blueberries, they would make an exceptional pie. I used frozen wild blueberries. No need to thaw them first.

I learned a great tip from blogger Rebecca Blackwell. She uses a combination of tapioca and cornstarch to thicken the filling. She says that, “Too much cornstarch can make fruit pie filling cloudy and give it a slightly chalky taste. Tapioca creates a berry filling that is bright and clear, but can sometimes result in a gluey consistency. Combining smaller amounts of both cornstarch and tapioca is a great solution, creating a glossy, luxuriously silky filling that holds its shape when sliced.”

If you don’t have the inclination or time to make a lattice crust and braided rim, just top the pie with a plain crust. It will still be delicious. If you want to get all fancy, you’ll need to make a double recipe of the pie crust. For the lattice, I did a combo of wide (2 inch) and narrow (3/4 inch) strips. The braid was made using 1/2 inch wide strips. For braiding, it’s important that your dough not be too cold or it will crack. I slice it while cold and then let it soften up a bit before braiding.

Here’s a video showing you how to form the lattice and beautiful braid.

Brush with egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar before baking. Start with a hot (400°F) oven for the first 30 minutes. Then cover the rim with foil and turn down the heat to 375°F for the last 30 minutes.

Do not slice the pie for at least 4-6 hours! It needs time to set up so that you will have slices that look picture perfect! Vanilla ice cream or whipped cream is always a good idea. Any leftovers will keep for several days in the fridge. You can also wrap individual slices in plastic wrap and freeze for later. It reheats perfectly.

Blueberry Ginger Lime Mini Pies

I have waxed poetic about my love of wild blueberries before on this blog. (See here, here and here). Sweeter, smaller and less acidic than their big sister, the cultivated blueberry, they are, without question, my favourite summer fruit. Mostly I just enjoy them raw, in cereal or with yogurt and granola, but I also love to bake with them.

My daughter is pushing me to try flavour combinations I have never considered before. Blueberry and ginger?  According to Bon Appetit  it’s a dynamite combo. The ginger adds a subtle bit of heat in the back of your throat that is totally unexpected but very delicious. Tart lime adds the perfect hit of acid.

I decided to make mini pies, because I was dying to use my new tartlet pans from Nom Living in London. Their ceramics are beautifully hand crafted and just a joy to look at. I had some fun covering the pies with little flower cut outs.
Plain or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, these mini blueberry ginger pies are just adorable. But, full disclosure here, I found the crust to filling ratio was wrong. Way too much crust in these mini pies. A fruit pie needs to be singing with fruit and these tiny pies were just humming.

A 9 inch glass pie plate is the perfect vehicle to cram in all this blueberry happiness.

Click here to print recipe for Blueberry Ginger Lime Pie.

 

Wild Blueberry and Corn Galette

A slice with tea 2Galette is French for “Lazy Ass Pie.” No, not really. It actually refers to a free-form tart. Pies are a lot of work. There’s all that stress about making the crust and rolling it out without cracking. Plus, I suck at crimping. But a galette is supposed to be rustic. Rolling the dough into a perfect circle is  not required, in fact, it is frowned upon. (Well, I frown upon perfect circles)

Wild blueberries have arrived and sadly, they’re only here for a few short weeks, so I take advantage of the short season and work very hard at eating my weight in wild blueberries during the month of August. This recipe would certainly work with regular blueberries, but you may need to add a bit more sugar, since wild ones are so much sweeter. You could also use frozen berries. The PC frozen wild blueberries are excellent, as are Trader Joe’s brand.

OK, let’s make a lazy ass pie galette. Start with the filling. Mix blueberries, tapioca flour (also called tapioca starch), sugar and lemon juice. Filling ingredientsNext we tackle the topping. This corn crisp topping was the genius idea of Bon Appetit Magazine. I saw it in their July 2016 issue, and I knew I had to try it. Such a fun idea to combine blueberry and corn in a dessert. Start with a traditional crisp topping of flour, sugar and butter. Add a touch of cornmeal for added crunch. corn topping_2Then cut in fresh corn kernels. Topping done. cutting corn off the cobThe dough comes together very quickly in the food processor. No need to chill it. Just roll it out right away between 2 sheets of parchment paper, to avoid any fuss. rolling dough between sheets of parchmentTime to assemble.

I made a dairy free version of the galette last weekend for some friends. I used chilled coconut oil in both the dough and the topping and it was fantastic. The coconut oil was only detected (and rejected) by one friend, but I suspect he’s a super tasterBlueberry Corn Galette 2

Click here to print recipe for Wild Blueberry and Corn Galette.

slice of galette