Patriotic Pie

I hope everyone had a fun, safe, restful weekend.  We celebrated our country's freedom by having a whole bunch of people over for barbecue, adult beverages, and dessert.  It was a sunny, hot day in Fairbanks and somehow the 8 people we were planning on turned into 10 then 12 then we just quit counting.  There is always plenty to eat so extra people just add to the fun.

I made this pie.  I found it in Better Homes and Gardens.  The Stars are on top of a blueberry filling and the rest is raspberry.  It was delicious with frozen yogurt, with sweetened whipped cream, and again all by itself after I got all the dishes done that night.

This morning it is raining buckets again.  I'm not complaining, I say every day of rain is one less day of smoke (Fairbanks has been surrounded by forest fires the last couple of summers).  And really, if it is rainy all week but sunny and warm on the weekends, well, I can live with that.

Flag Berry Pie
Better Homes and Gardens, July 2014
Crust:

1. In a food processor combine the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Cover and pulse to distribute ingredients. Add butter; pulse until mixture resembles very coarse cornmeal with a few large butter chunks still visible. While pulsing, add the water slowly. Continue pulsing until the water is evenly distributed but don't allow the dough to form into a ball. Transfer dough to a sheet of plastic wrap and gently knead to incorporate any remaining dry bits. Divide dough into 2 uneven balls; one ball should contain two thirds of the pastry ( 21 ounces). Wrap each ball in plastic wrap. Chill dough portions for 30 minutes or until easy to handle.
2. Roll the large dough portion into a 17x12-inch rectangle. Transfer to a 15x10x1-inch baking pan and trim edges even with sides of pan. Prick the bottom of the dough with a fork and chill until ready to assemble tart. Roll remaining dough portion into a 15x10-inch rectangle. Cut six 1/2-inch wide strips from the long side of the dough. Next, cut 4 more 1/2-inch wide strips that are 9 inches long. Cut as many 1-inch stars as you can with remaining dough, rerolling scraps as necessary. Place strips and stars on a parchment paper-lined large baking sheet. Brush with a mixture of egg and water. Generously sprinkle with Swedish sugar and gently press sugar into surface of dough. Chill while preparing fillings.
Raspberry Filling:
3. Place raspberries in a large bowl; toss with lemon peel and juice. In a small bowl combine granulated sugar, ClearJel, and salt. Sprinkle sugar mixture over raspberries; toss to combine. Set aside.
Blueberry Filling:
4. Place blueberries in a large bowl; toss with lemon peel and juice. In a small bowl combine granulated sugar, ClearJel, and salt. Sprinkle sugar mixture over blueberries; toss to combine.
To Assemble:
5. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. With the long side of the dough-lined pan facing you, arrange blueberry filling in the upper left corner of the pan, covering about a 6x4-inch rectangle. Spoon the raspberry filling around the blueberries to fill the pan. Place the dough strips over the raspberries, trimming as necessary. Arrange the stars over the blueberries. Bake 1 1/4 hours or until the filling bubbles and the edges of the crust are golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature.

1 year ago:   White Water Rafting

2 years ago:  Perfect Chocolate Chip Cookies

July 7, 2014  Sunrise 3:27 am Sunset 12:22 am   Temp. H 67/ L 56°F