"They" say blueberries are fantastic fuel for your brain. It boosts your memory skills and fights off alzheimers. I say, it is a great excuse for dessert.
This pie calls for fresh blueberries. Texas blueberries, although not the dance-in-your-mouth Maine berries, aren't too bad when in season. But their price tag is! It is past blueberry season, and I didn't want to pay $20 for a pound of apples for an apple pie (plus mine aren't always dependably pretty), so I decided on a blueberry pie with frozen berries.
Not too bad, even with the unpredictable frozen berries. I have no picture, but I can tell you, this is one beautiful pie. The toasty crumb topping, the deepest hyacinth/lavender color on the inside... When it is real blueberry season, it should be criminal not to make this pie. It's even good for breakfast. I got this recipe from a friend who requests it each year for his birthday. He rarely shares it with others, but I got a small piece and demanded the recipe.
Very few pies are good "slicers." This one is an exception. Except for this time. The frozen berries made the first night of it's life typically runny. But all other showings, it cut beautifully. I remember making it with fresh berries where this happened every time. Nothing wrong with messy pie, but beautifully shaped pie pieces can bring tears.
Make this one day.
Blueberry Pie
1 unbaked pie shell (buy it if you must, or rise above and make your own- you'll thank yourself)
1 c sour cream
2 T all-purpose flour
3/4 c sugar
1 t vanilla
1/4 t salt
1 egg- beaten
2 1/2 c fresh blueberries
Combine sour cream, flour, sugar, vanilla, salt and egg until smooth. Fold in berries and pour into pie shell.
Combine the following: 1/2 c sugar, 1 c flour, 8 T butter (softened). Work with your hands or pastry blender until crumbly and sprinkle on top of pie filling. Then sprinkle on cinnamon sugar (or just add some to the crumbly stuff).
Bake 400 degrees for about 45 minutes. Make sure it is done: pie will be dense, not liquid.
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...wine that gladdens the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread that sustains his heart. -Ps.104:10 (NIV)
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Bear Grylls's Home is Not in Alabama15 years ago
Sean and KK
About Me
- Karen and Sean
- Dallas/Ft. Worth, Texas, United States
- We are simply foodies. We love to eat, we love to have wine, we love to think about our next meal.
Enhancing the Experience
It's a cruel twist of nature that nothing will make a bad wine good and plenty of things can make a good wine bad. These are some things I (Sean) have learned to enhance the enjoyment of a decent wine.
Temperature is as important as it is misunderstood, particularly with reds. The usual rule for reds is "room temperature", but that was translated from the [pick your European language and insert here]. Room temp on the continent is somewhat cooler than in the U.S. and therefore, since our cellar consists of shelf space in various closets around the apartment, we arrive at the 65-68⁰F by putting a red in the fridge for a while. Usually we chill it for hours and take it out an hour ahead; vary the formula as you see fit. Also, see below for a further tip that will impact temperature. Just don't suffer through a warm bottle of red wine. It pains me and you won't like it, either. As for whites, we put them in the fridge a couple hours and go, or in an ice bucket (filled with water and ice to maximize contact with the cold) for 30 minutes or so. Whites can handle a little experimentation with temperature, so pay attention to how you like various wines at various temps. Sometimes we take a cold bottle of some white wine out of the bucket and just leave it on the table if we like it to warm slightly over a short period.
Speaking of suffering, Karen suffers my "clean glass" obsession with great patience. I have been known to wash the glass to store it, wash it again before using it, possibly twice if I detect any problems, and she's so indulgent with me that she got me the coolest microfiber finishing cloth (from Riedel, maker of those fun but ultimately non-wine-glass stemless stemware). I just believe wine is a beautiful thing for the eyes as well as other senses and it kills me to look and drink through spots and watermarks.
Our glasses are Schott Zwiesel. We have a couple for white and a couple for red, essentially the same shape but different sizes.
Don't fill the glass. You want to be able to tilt and swirl (yeah, we ooh and aah over the color and hold it to the light [sunlight if possible]) and put your nose in it without drowning (see my picture for why this is important). I also find it rushed and unnecessary to pour more than a couple ounces at a time -- our rule of thumb is "to the point on the glass where it begins to taper toward the top". We often have several courses and the smaller pour allows us to keep pace with the meal without guzzling. Also, you get more control over temperature by going slow. Whites don't warm up too much and reds, if too cool in the bottle, can be warmed by cupping the bowl of the glass in hand.
Temperature is as important as it is misunderstood, particularly with reds. The usual rule for reds is "room temperature", but that was translated from the [pick your European language and insert here]. Room temp on the continent is somewhat cooler than in the U.S. and therefore, since our cellar consists of shelf space in various closets around the apartment, we arrive at the 65-68⁰F by putting a red in the fridge for a while. Usually we chill it for hours and take it out an hour ahead; vary the formula as you see fit. Also, see below for a further tip that will impact temperature. Just don't suffer through a warm bottle of red wine. It pains me and you won't like it, either. As for whites, we put them in the fridge a couple hours and go, or in an ice bucket (filled with water and ice to maximize contact with the cold) for 30 minutes or so. Whites can handle a little experimentation with temperature, so pay attention to how you like various wines at various temps. Sometimes we take a cold bottle of some white wine out of the bucket and just leave it on the table if we like it to warm slightly over a short period.
Speaking of suffering, Karen suffers my "clean glass" obsession with great patience. I have been known to wash the glass to store it, wash it again before using it, possibly twice if I detect any problems, and she's so indulgent with me that she got me the coolest microfiber finishing cloth (from Riedel, maker of those fun but ultimately non-wine-glass stemless stemware). I just believe wine is a beautiful thing for the eyes as well as other senses and it kills me to look and drink through spots and watermarks.
Our glasses are Schott Zwiesel. We have a couple for white and a couple for red, essentially the same shape but different sizes.
Don't fill the glass. You want to be able to tilt and swirl (yeah, we ooh and aah over the color and hold it to the light [sunlight if possible]) and put your nose in it without drowning (see my picture for why this is important). I also find it rushed and unnecessary to pour more than a couple ounces at a time -- our rule of thumb is "to the point on the glass where it begins to taper toward the top". We often have several courses and the smaller pour allows us to keep pace with the meal without guzzling. Also, you get more control over temperature by going slow. Whites don't warm up too much and reds, if too cool in the bottle, can be warmed by cupping the bowl of the glass in hand.
Wines We Mention
- Boutari Santorini Assyrtiko, 2006
- Boutari Μοσχοφηίλερο Μηουτάρη, 2006
- Oxford Landing GSM, 2005
- Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, 2005
- Groth, Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley 2005
- Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Benefizium Porer, 2004
- Famega Vinho Verde, 2006 (whoa, this was almost not wine, very effervescent and cider-like)
Wines We Love, Wines We Hate
ROSE
Give Rose a try. Find the nice and dry-ish ones, not the ones with BartlesnJames on it.
2006 Turkey Flat Vineyards Rose (Grenache, Shiraz, Cab and Dolcetto): This was the prettiest wine we have ever seen, and also one of the tastiest. It was hard to find, so try mail order sources. About $16.00? We would actually buy a case of this one, its so yummy.
2005 Marques de Caceres (Rioja): Very accessible and great value. Remember, there is hardly anything you would eat in the summer that a Rose wouldn't complement.
2005 Castello di Ama Toscano Rosato: Not a great Rose, so we include it as a public service. Save your money for the better ones.
SPARKLING WINE
Includes Champagne, as well as domestic and other international sparkling wines.
2006? Gruet Brut: I was shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when I tasted this one. I haven't been a Brut fan in my past (KK), but this one was so delicious. I can't even remember what we ate with it, but sparkling wine goes with anything. This winery is in Albuqueque, NM of all places, about $15. Buy several.
Give Rose a try. Find the nice and dry-ish ones, not the ones with BartlesnJames on it.
2006 Turkey Flat Vineyards Rose (Grenache, Shiraz, Cab and Dolcetto): This was the prettiest wine we have ever seen, and also one of the tastiest. It was hard to find, so try mail order sources. About $16.00? We would actually buy a case of this one, its so yummy.
2005 Marques de Caceres (Rioja): Very accessible and great value. Remember, there is hardly anything you would eat in the summer that a Rose wouldn't complement.
2005 Castello di Ama Toscano Rosato: Not a great Rose, so we include it as a public service. Save your money for the better ones.
2005 La Brasserie Rose: This was the best value we've ever had in a Rose. Under $7, and very tasty. Nice and dry, crisp, strawberry. Works with a variety of dishes, like seared ahi tuna. We would buy a case of this, and that's saying a lot. We have only found it at Sherry-Lehman in NY (online purchasing).
SPARKLING WINE
Includes Champagne, as well as domestic and other international sparkling wines.
2006? Gruet Brut: I was shocked, SHOCKED, I tell you, when I tasted this one. I haven't been a Brut fan in my past (KK), but this one was so delicious. I can't even remember what we ate with it, but sparkling wine goes with anything. This winery is in Albuqueque, NM of all places, about $15. Buy several.
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