BLACK & BLUE PIE

Recipe courtesy of Stacy Begin, co-owner of Two Fat Cats Bakery, Portland

2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh blackberries

11/4 cups sugar

6 tablespoons tapioca flour

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1/2 teaspoon ginger powder

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

2 disks pie dough

Milk

Extra sugar for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400. Mix together blueberries, blackberries, sugar, tapioca flour, ginger and cinnamon. Let sit for 15 minutes.

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Meanwhile, roll out one pie dough disk to fit a pie plate, making sure the dough overhangs the plate by 1/2 inch. Place in pie plate.

Fill the shell with the fruit mixture. Roll out the second dough disk and place on top of fruit mixture, making sure the top crust covers all the fruit and the edge of the bottom crust. Bring the top and bottom dough edges together and crimp to seal. Make three cuts in the top of the pie about 1/2 inch apart. Brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle it generously with sugar.

Place the pie on a baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Turn the oven down to 375 degrees and bake for another 30 to 40 minutes, until juices are bubbling and slightly thickened. Let the pie cool for at least 2 hours and enjoy!

FREE-FORM WILD

BLUEBERRY TART

Recipe courtesy of Sam Hayward, chef, Fore Street, Portland

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Almond pastry dough:

1/3 cup fine almond flour

12/3 cup white or whole-wheat pastry flour, or a combination

5 ounces (10 tablespoons) unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 1/4-inch pieces

1/4 cup confectioner’s sugar

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

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1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Measure the almond flour, white or wheat flour, cold butter and sugar into a food processor fitted with a sharp blade. Pulse several times, until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Turn it into a mixing bowl.

Beat together the vinegar, vanilla, beaten egg and salt. Make a well in the flour-butter mixture and pour in the egg mixture. With a fork, draw the dry ingredients into the wet until well-combined and most of the dry ingredients have been moistened.

Turn the mixture onto a lightly floured cutting board and pat the dough together until it adheres evenly, but avoid overworking the dough. If the dough is too dry to hold together, sprinkle it with a tablespoon or more of cold water. Form into a 6-inch disk, wrap in waxed paper and chill in the refrigerator at least one hour.

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Wild blueberry curd:

1 pint fresh wild blueberries

11/4 cup granulated sugar

Grated zest of one lemon

4 ounces (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

Pinch of salt

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2 whole large eggs plus 1 egg yolk

Place the sugar and grated lemon zest into a food processor fitted with a sharp blade. Pulse the mixture until it is pale yellow and the zest is finely pulverized into the sugar.

Place all ingredients in the top of a double-boiler set over rapidly simmering water. Cook, stirring, until mixture is hot and thickened and berries have softened completely, about 10 to 15 minutes.

Force the hot mixture through a fine sieve into a ceramic bowl. Cover and chill at least 1 hour.

Tart filling:

1-1/2 pint fresh wild blueberries

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1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1/4 cup sliced blanched almonds

3 tablespoons granulated sugar

2 tablespoons tapioca starch

Pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 400. Roll out the almond dough to a disk roughly 12 inches in diameter and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment.

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Mix together the melted butter and almonds.

Mix together the blueberries, sugar, tapioca starch and salt.

Pile the blueberries up in the center of the dough disk, spreading them out to within about 2 inches of the edge. Bring the edges of the dough up to partially enclose and contain the fruit. Sprinkle the buttered almonds over the exposed berries.

Place the tart in the preheated oven, bake for 10 minutes, then reduce oven to 350. Bake an additional 25 to 30 minutes, or until fruit has simmered and pastry is golden.

Serve wedges of the tart warm with spoonfuls of blueberry curd and pass sweetened whipped cream separately.

BLUEBERRIES

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FOR SALAD

Recipe courtesy of Steve Corry, proprietor, Five Fifty-Five, Portland

Blueberry gastrique:

1 cup sugar

1 cup Maine blueberries

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

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1 teaspoon salt

1 ounce water

Place sugar and water in a small sauce pot. Mix until it has consistency of wet sand. Cook over direct heat until sugar caramelizes to golden hue. Take off heat and add the vinegar and berries. Return to heat and keep cooking until volume is reduced by half. Cool.

Airy yogurt: Fill an isi gun (seltzer bottle/whipped cream can) about half full with your favorite yogurt. Charge with CO2.

Granola crumble:

1 cup oats

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1/2 cup hazelnuts

1/4 cup coconut (shredded and toasted)

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons Maine maple syrup

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Combine nuts, oats, coconut and brown sugar in a bowl. Combine syrup, oil and salt in a separate bowl.

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Combine both mixtures. Spread on a sheet pan and bake at 250 for about 1 hour.

Stir and rotate pan and re-bake for another 15 minutes.

Champagne-blueberry vinaigrette:

1 ounce blueberry gastrique (see above)

5 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1 ounce Champagne vinegar

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Salt to taste

Chopped lavender to taste

Combine all ingredients.

Dish assembly:

Toss bibb lettuce in Champagne vinaigrette. Drizzle the plate with the gastrique and fresh lavender. Garnish with fresh berries. Top lettuce with toasted granola crumble. Dispense yogurt from the isi gun. Enjoy!


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