Tuesday, July 8, 2008

TWD - Blueberry Double Crusted Pie


The TWD recipe this week is blueberry double crusted pie and is chosen by Amy of South in Your Mouth. This was an exciting challenge as in my mind blueberry pie is quite American – not something we think of making in NZ, so it was something different. Also, apart from apple pie, I’ve never made a deep dish double crust pie before! I didn’t want to make a whole pie because it would have been a waste with just the two of us to eat it, so I decided to do a third of the mixture and make little pies.



The pastry called for shortening – not something we really use in NZ. I used kremelta (a solidified coconut oil) which I happened to have in the fridge. I wasn’t sure what to make the little pies in. The majority of my dishes etc are still packed away – they got packed away last year when we moved into our house which we are going to re-build (by the way we are on track to start building in the Spring, so this time next year hopefully I will have a brand new kitchen and scullery!!) – so I had limited dishes to choose from. I decided to make the pies in large muffin tins I have that are more straight sided than usual muffin tins. I was a bit nervous though that they wouldn’t turn out that well, but I went with it anyway.

I used frozen blueberries for the filling (being the middle of winter here, it’s not exactly blueberry season). The berries were tossed in a mixture of flour, sugar and lemon zest and then piled into the pies with a layer of dried bread crumbs between the pastry and the berries. There have been some comments that breadcrumbs are a funny thing to put into blueberry pie, but I think that they did a really good job of making sure that the berry juice didn’t seep into the pastry.



I was so pleased – the pies turned out beautifully and tasted delicious! I made two little pies, but wish that I had made more. The nice thing about making little pies is that the ratio of pastry to berries was higher and that pastry is so yummy! We had the pies with natural yoghurt. Dorie calls the pastry “good for everything” double crust pastry, and she is right – the pastry would be good with most things!



See what the other TWDers thought here.

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the last pic of your little pie! Looks scrumptious.

I've just started packing up the kitchen. Hope Dorie doesn't require any unusual pans for a while. ;)

kimberly salem said...

the pies are so cute in mini form! :)

Bumblebutton said...

Super cute little pie! I had forgotten that blueberry is an American fruit. Glad you found it yummy!

Anonymous said...

I love the little pies- that was a great idea. It looks delicious!

Jayne said...

I love the tiny pies! And yes - that crust is fabulous!

Amy said...

I love the mini pies! They look yummy.

Anonymous said...

Wow, good job getting creative! They look fabulous.

steph- whisk/spoon said...

i wasn't sure what a scullery was, so i looked it up. i am more and more envious of your soon-to-be-remodeled space! the little pies are adorable!

Engineer Baker said...

So cute! I should have know I wouldn't be the only one with mini pies :)

Linda said...

those cute little pies look scrumptious! I agree that the breadcrumbs really helped manage the moisture/juice in the filling. wonderful job!

Cakelaw said...

These little pies look delicious - and the blueberry filling looks mouthwatering.

Susie Homemaker said...

I'm with you - the little pies have a much better ratio! yours look phenomenal!

Di said...

Your little pies are very cute. And I love the idea of a higher crust to filling ration. =)

PheMom said...

Very cute idea! Glad you liked them.

Anonymous said...

Those are so cute! I admire your patience - I just made one big one.

Andrea at Nummy Kitchen said...

Your little pies are so cute! I love them, they look perfect :) You did a beautiful job.

Eleganza Strings/ The DeLadurantey Family said...

Aw cute!
Hannah

Anonymous said...

Wow those pies look so good, I just want to pop one into my mouth!

Jules Someone said...

What cute little pies. Just enough for one bite, er, sitting....

Annemarie said...

I agree...excellent pastry! I Love your little pies!

Mary Ann said...

The little pie is adorable! and that means more crust, which is a good thing. Great job!

AutumnRose said...

so cute!!! your berries look yummy -- even if not aplenty!

Prudy said...

Little pies are such a better way to go. I've got to do a better job of minimizing these recipes. Your pies look wonderul!

Steph said...

Your pies are just too cute! They look delicious and juicy.

Anonymous said...

That's why I love TWD, I get to hear from experiences from around the world. Coconut oil sounds like a good form of shortening instead of regular vegetable. Did the coconut add any extra flavor to the dish? Great job!

Shari said...

Interesting that shortening isn't used much in NZ. I've never heard of kremelta before. I also learned what a scullery is -- I'm learning so much thru all these food blogs! Good luck with your renos!
Shari@Whisk: a food blog

marae said...

mini pie looks amazing!! i am not a shortening fan AT ALL...but i followed the recipe--my crust was not fab. but i love your little pie..portion control is great.

Pamela said...

Love the little pies! Really cute.

Anonymous said...

The mini pies are so cute! I'm glad you guys enjoyed them.

Mari said...

I split the recipe into two 4,5" pies and gave one away, but that pie was so good, I soon wished I'd made mini pies for portion control reasons...LOL!