This summer in mid July on one of my hikes with a gaggle of adolescent boys, we happened upon a huge area of wild blueberries. It was on the less popular side of Mt.Major, the trail that we had chosen to descend down. Between the five of us, we managed to pick 4 cups (enough for a pie) in less than 30 minutes. Being that it was a super easy hike and that we were only a mile from the car, we emptied out two Nalgene bottles of water and replaced it with blueberries. I promised the boys a pie with the four cups that we picked. Wild blueberries are so much tastier than cultivated berries, much smaller and very sweet. I opted to prepare an uncooked filling, placing the berries into the pie raw and letting them cook along with the pie. It was delicious. Gluten-free pie crust is never quite the same. It doesn't get flaky like pie crust made from wheat flour. You can see in the photo that it was hard to work with - bits of it were pieced on and pressed into place after placing it over the pie. But this was a decent crust, compared to others I have tried. And the sweet, berry filling more than compensated for what the crust lacked in flakiness. In terms of flour blends for the crust, I have used a combination of brown rice, potato starch, and tapioca starch. But feel free to substitute a blend, such as King Arthur's or Pillsbury (I found their GF flour blend in the "regular" baking section at Hannaford a few weeks ago, and it's cheaper per pound than buying the separate flours. It also includes the xantham gum.) You can substitute 2 1/4 cups of flour blend for the 3 flours below. Just note whether or not xantham gum is included. If not, you will need to add it per the recipe. Crust: 1 1/4 cup brown rice or white rice flour 1/2 cup potato starch 1/2 cup tapioca starch (also called tapioca flour) 2 Tbsp sugar 1 tsp xantham gum 1 cup butter, chilled 8 Tbsp cold water - ice water is even better 1. Mix flours, sugar, and xantham gum together. 2. Take cold butter and grate it using a regular cheese grater. Add to dry ingredients and stir until well-distributed. 3. Add 8 Tbsp of cold water and mix using a fork, then, in a kneading fashion, use hands to finish it off. If it remains crumbly, add another Tbsp of water. (My grandmother swore that her pastries came out so nicely because she always had cold hands, so I will sometimes run my hands under cold water prior to this step.) 4. Form into two balls, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour. 5. Roll out one half on wax paper, using tapioca starch as a flour to prevent sticking to rolling pin. Using the wax paper, transfer the crust to the bottom of a pie plate. 6. Prepare berry mixture by combining 4 cups of blueberries, 2 Tbsp cornstarch, 1/2 cup sugar, pinch of salt, and 2 tsp lemon juice. Toss together gently in a mixing bowl, then pour mixture into pastry-lined pie plate. 7. Roll out second crust and gently drape over the top, trimming and crimping edges as needed. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pie on the lowest rack position. Bake for 50-60 minutes, until crust is golden and filling is thick and bubbling. (From experience, I would recommend placing a cookie sheet underneath the pie plate to catch juices that might overflow. I HATE cleaning the oven.) Let stand for at least 1 hour before serving.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorI'm Emily. I currently work in online education management, but I also have a Masters degree in Nutritional Sciences (my true passion). In addition, I am a mom, cook, avid reader, novice gardener, and enjoy all kinds of outdoor activities. On my blog, you will find articles on food, fitness, weight management, and eating issues. ALL recipes on my blog are gluten-free. Many are low-carbohydrate. Most are grain free. Enjoy! Categories
All
Archives
June 2019
|