Pioneer Pie

The 24th of July is a highly celebrated day in Utah and somewhat celebrated throughout the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It commemorates the days in 1847 when the Mormon Pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley to find respite from the persecution heaped upon them for years. The 24th of July is ALMOST bigger than the 4th of July in Utah. (Both are celebrated with heaps of fireworks, parades and family barbecues, and both are days off work.)

But in California, it's just a cause for another Church Stake or Ward activity...

This year for three wards in the Santa Monica Stake was a Chili & Pie Cook-Off. The husband got the idea he wanted to compete. And if you know the husband, you know that he either goes big or he goes home. So I wasn't surprised when he said he wanted to bake a whole pie from scratch (which he has never done before). He chose a Beautiful Blueberry Pie recipe that called for 7-8 cups of blueberries.

Here's the photo on the recipe. I can see why he chose this one:

And of course we couldn't just make one pie. We needed one for ourselves, right? So... seven sticks of butter, four Costco cartons of blueberries, and three dishwasher loads later, we had a pair of beautiful blueberry pies. I helped with the crust.

I didn't get a photo of the pie we turned in because we cut it a little too close to the deadline. I thought of my artistic sister Jenn and created a cute pair of leaves and three little blueberry shapes (from the crust dough). Imagine they were beautiful.

Here's the one we kept:

At the Church activity I won't tell you that I wasn't impressed with the chili, in general, and that I was frustrated they didn't have enough rolls to go around. (Hello... bread & rolls are the most important part!) I also won't mention we didn't even get any of the pie we made or anyone else's entered into the contest. I ended up getting a slice of store-bought pie. Lame.

This little sweetheart did get a piece of our pie. She seemed to enjoy it.

But I must will tell you the spirits of the preggo lady boosted several notches when they announced the winner of the pie contest.

It was THE HUSBAND!

And the prize was a brand new pie server. 

Whaddya know... We didn't even have one of those. Congratulations, Pie Boy!

I learned a lot of little things about baking pies for next time. We had several friends invite us over for dinner on the stipulation we "bring dessert," so I suppose we'll have opportunities to refine our pie-making skills in the future. Anyone want to invite us for Thanksgiving?




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This is the exact recipe the hubby used (you'll need to list out the ingredients, as it didn't come with the list). He also added some fresh ginger and a few teaspoons of cinnamon to the filling.

Blueberry Pie

Directions

Simmer 3 cups blueberries with 1/2 cup maple syrup until the mixture reduces by half, about 20 minutes. Pour into a bowl; stir in 4 cups blueberries, 1/2 cup maple syrup, 3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca, 1 tablespoon, lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cool completely, then pour into pie shell; dot with 4 tablespoons butter.

Perfect All-Butter Piecrust

Pulse 3 1/2 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar and 1 teaspoon salt in a food processor. Add 1 diced stick cold butter; process until combined. Add 2 more diced sticks cold butter; pulse three times, or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 1 tablespoon white or cider vinegar. Gradually pour in 1/3 cup ice water, pulsing about four times until combined. Turn out onto a clean surface and press into a cohesive dough without overworking (you should see bits of butter). Wrap in plastic wrap and press into a 1-inch-thick disk; refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out.

How to Make a Pie

Divide the chilled dough in half; roll 1 piece into a 12-inch, 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured surface (refrigerate the other piece).

Roll the dough onto a rolling pin, then unroll it into a 9-inch glass pie plate, letting it hang over the edge; add filling.

Roll out the other piece of dough and place over the filling; press the crust edges together and trim, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Roll up or pinch the overhang to seal.

Place a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven; preheat to 450 degrees. Wrap an oiled, wide band of foil around the pie edge to protect the crust. Make slashes in the top of the crust; chill for 30 minutes.

Reduce the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the pie for 30 minutes. Remove the foil band, brush the crust with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes; cool before slicing.