Blueberry Peach Pie

I've never had homemade pie.  Of course, I've had pie before, but not homemade.  (I love Fried Pies.  My dad always picks some up on his way to mom's from this little roadside shop in the middle of nowhere - and it's always busy.)  At one point, my dad (who is a big pie fan) wanted to create a holiday tradition where we'd make a pie for the holidays, but I'd come over and he'd have a pie crust you unroll and filling in a can.  I'd have my obligatory bite, smile and say, "Mmmm!"  (Sorry Dad!)  I just though I didn't like traditional pie, but after Val and I made this Blueberry Peach Pie (after this amazing Mushroom Artichoke Lasagna!), I realize I've always been a food snob.  Even before I knew homemade was better, I knew homemade was better.

We used a variation on this Blueberry Pie recipe posted by Whisk Kid.  The crust, which I've always liked because my grandma used to make pie crust cookies for me, was buttery and flavorful.  The dough itself was hard to roll out and I'd try a different recipe next time, but the flavor was right on par.  The peaches added an extra layer of sweetness to the blueberries, which I thought put the pie filling over the top.   Holiday 2010 is going to include a homemade pie because I'll actually want it this year!

When measuring out flour for baking, it's always important to spoon flour into the measuring cup and level it off.  If you scoop, then it'll pack the flour in and the measurements wont be exact.  Baking is a science.  (My roommate got onto me for this the other weekend, which was the first time I've done it in ages.  I was just being lazy.)

Mix flour, salt and shortening.  Stick in the freezer.  (Along with a stick of butter, a cheese grater and a plate.)

Once cold, grate the butter on to the plate.  Add to the shortening/flour mixture.  

Mix together with (clean) hands.  

Add in water, 1 tbsp at a time, until it is wet enough to stick together.  We used more like 6 or 8 tbsp, which is double the advised amount. 

Divide in half and create a rounded disk of dough.  Wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate for a few hours. 

While the dough is getting cold, make the filling.  Start with sugar and cornstarch.  Val said that her grandma uses tapioca for her pie thickener and it has a better taste.  Next time...

Add in cinnamon.  Val likes to play with her food, usually by making people or faces out of them.  This is an angry face on a happy day.

Mix in blueberries.

Add in peaches and lemon zest.  Really, add in peaches.  You'll be glad you did.

One of the coolest parts of cooking at Val's is that she lives in a house that had previously belonged to an old family friend, Marge.  She has a lot of Marge's stuff around, like this rolling pin.  It made me really feel like I could have been cooking with my grandma's stuff.  And who doesn't love cooking with their grandmas? 

Val started to roll out the dough but quickly got flustered and left the kitchen.  The dough is crumbly and must be rolled out with care.  Start with a heavily floured working area and rolling pin.  Flip the crust often.  (Near the end, I stopped flipping and had to use a flapjack flipper to get it off the table in one piece.)

If eventually did get rolled out and put into place.  Underneath all this pie filling goodness is a patchwork of pie crust.  

The top went a little more successfully.  Make the edges pretty, brush with an egg wash and sprinkle with raw sugar.

We were watching the Great Muppet Caper and I fell asleep - I really can't sit still and watch anything or this happens.  Val found a puddle of pie filling in the bottom of her oven when she went to pull it out.  So put a cookie sheet under your pie to prevent a headache.  We had it for breakfast the next morning, which means we got natural light! 

Natural light pictures always look so much better.  There really is no substitute for the sun.  This was a lovely little breakfast.

The pie was extremely juicy.  The crust stuck a little bit to the edges, so next time grease the pan.  It was definitely delicious and I'll stop turning my nose up to all pies now.

Happy cooking.