Our favorite recipes for summer gatherings.
Black and Blue Lattice Pie
5 cups blackberries and blueberries, mixed 1 tablespoon lemon juice ¾ cup sugar (more if not sweet enough) 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon cinnamon 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces 1 tablespoon heavy cream for glaze 1 tablespoon sugar for glaze basic pie crust dough
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Divide dough into 2 unequal pieces. On a floured surface, roll out larger piece into a large circle 1/8-inch thick. Without stretching, fit into a deep, 10-inch pie pan. Trim the edge leaving a ¾-inch overhang. Roll remaining dough into a circle and transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and chill.
Toss berries with lemon juice. Stir together cornstarch, cinnamon and ¾ cup sugar. Toss with berries. Pour into chilled crust. Dot with butter. Moisten crust edge with cold water. Cut the other dough circle into 1-inch strips using a fluted pastry cutter. Lay half strips over pie in even intervals. Lay remaining strips across top to make lattice. Press ends into bottom crust. Trim excess dough. Crimp or flute pastry border. Brush with cream and sprinkle with sugar. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 12 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until golden, 30-40 minutes. Serve warm or cool on rack and serve at room temperature.
Makes 1 pie
Virginia Peanut Pie
½ pound crushed salted peanuts 1 cup sugar 3 whole eggs ½ cup flour 1½ cups Karo light corn syrup 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 unbaked pie shell
Mix eggs, flour and sugar. Then add syrup and peanuts. Add melted butter last. Pour into pie shell. Bake at 250 degrees for 1½ hours, or until center is firm.
Serves 6 to 8
Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie
For the filling: 1½ cup rhubarb, sliced into ½ inch pieces 2 ½ cup ripe strawberries, quartered ¼-½ cup sugar (depending on the sweetness of your fruit) zest and juice of 1 orange Mix together and set aside. Prepare a basic pie crust (recipe here) and set that aside to cool. For the crumb mixture: ¾ cup sugar ⅓ cup all-purpose flour ¼ cup butter, cold and diced ¼ teaspoon salt
Mix ingredients until very crumbly. Put half of the crumb mixture on the bottom of the pie crust. Put all the fruit on top of the crumb mixture. Top with remaining crumb mixture.
Whisk together 1 egg and 3 teaspoons water. Pour over the pie. Bake at 400 until juices are bubbly and crust is golden (40-50 minutes). Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
