Strawberry Balsamic Pie

I love pie season. Some people think it's in the fall or winter, but for me, summer pies are the best. I love a good lattice-topped berry pie (strawberry rhubarb is my reigning favorite). I've been wanting to try this recipe from Four and Twenty Blackbirds but kept forgetting about it during the short strawberry season. Not this year! I finally remembered, bought a bunch of strawberries from the market, and made this delicious pie. It's so good! Even the drippings that come off the pie onto the cookie sheet taste like wonderful, sophisticated fruit roll ups. Strawberries and balsamic go so well together, and the little tiny bit of pepper is not obvious but gives the mix a tiny kick. I used my new favorite cornmeal crust, but you can use regular crust, too (or store-bought if you want - I recommend Trader Joe's). 

All Butter Pie Crust

Summer is the best time for pies (in my opinion). I've been on a pie kick. Strawberry Rhubarb, Gooseberry, Cherry... Here is a great pie dough recipe from Four and Twenty Blackbirds. I recommend doing it by hand with a pastry blender. The whole thing takes 15 minutes and you can really control the butter size and dough consistency. 

Makes a single-layer pie crust (just double recipe for a double layer for pies like apple and rhubarb)

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 1/2 tsp sugar

1 stick cold, unsalted butter cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup ice

1 cup cold water

2-3 tbsp cider vinegar

Plum-Blackberry Streusel Pie

Last night I was home alone, so I felt like baking would be a fun activity. I've also been wanting to try my beautiful new Emile Henry pie dish that my sisters-in-law-to-be gave me as a shower present. (Thanks, guys!) This Plum-Blackberry Streusel Pie sounded great, so I braved the heat (not as bad as earlier this week), turned on my oven, and baked. What a pretty pie!

Ingredients:

4 large, pitted and quartered

2 cups blackberries

1 1/2 cups sugar, divided

3 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon grated lemon zest

3/4 teaspoon salt, divided

1 frozen pie crust (I used one from Trader Joe's)

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into bits

Directions:

Put a foil-lined large baking sheet in lower third of oven and preheat oven to 375°F.

Toss plums and blackberries with 1 cup sugar, tapioca, cornstarch, zest, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl.

Blueberry and blackberry galette

My pie tin is on loan (from my engagement pie) but I had a pie craving. I figured this was a perfect time for a galette! A galette is basically a rustic, tin-less pie. This was pretty easy. It takes about 10 minutes to assemble (with a store bought crust, I recommend Trader Joe's pie crust) and then cooks for about half an hour. Great to make right before you sit down for dinner, or earlier if you're expecting a long dinner. It's really good - not too sweet, and if you serve with creme fraiche it's really tasty and sophisticated (I think, anyway).

Serves 6
Ingredients:
1 frozen pie crust, thawed but still cold
2 cups blueberries
1 cup blackberries
2 tbsp corn starch
1 tbsp grated lemon zest
juice from 3/4 of a lemon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup (plus 1 tbsp) sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp almond extract
1-2 tbsp semolina flour
1 tbsp butter, cut into cubes
1 tbsp milk

Maple Bourbon Pecan Pie

I was in Africa over Thanksgiving (amazing, amazing trip!) so I didn't get to cook or eat any of my Thanksgiving favorites, so when we had our friends over this weekend, I made some pecan pie. I wanted to try a new recipe and this one from Martha Stewart sounded great. Also, Jamie's a big bourbon fan so we had a lot of that on hand. It was great! Really sweet and great flavors. Be careful of overflow in the oven and use a cookie sheet and some foil to catch the run off. Really great dessert!

Ingredients:
Frozen pie crust (or make your own, I just didn't have time)
1 cup sugar
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 large whole eggs
1 cup plus 2 tbsp dark corn syrup
2 tbsp bourbon (or dark rum)