Peach and Blueberry Pie

makes one 9-inch pie

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For the Crust:

2 1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

3/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold, cut into cubes

5 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons ice cold water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

For the Filling:

about 3 pounds ripe peaches (I used about 6 peaches)

1 cup fresh blueberries

1/2 to 2/3 cups granulated sugar (depending on the sweetness of your peaches)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

scant 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground coriander

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

1 egg, beaten, for egg wash

2 tablespoons sugar and 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, for topping crust before baking

To make the crust, in a medium bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt.  Add cold, cubed butter and, using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture.  Quickly break the butter down into the flour mixture, some butter pieces will be the size of oat flakes, some will be the size of peas. Stir together the ice cold water and vinegar.   Create a well in the butter and flour mixture and pour in the water and vinegar mixture.  Use a fork to bring to dough together.  Try to moisten all of the flour bits.  On a lightly floured work surface, dump out the dough mixture.  It will be moist and shaggy.  That’s perfect.  Divide the dough in two and gently knead into two disks.  Wrap each disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

To make the filling, wash and slice peaches.  In a medium bowl, combine peach slices and blueberries.  In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, spices, flour, and cornstarch.  Pour the sugar mixture over the fruit, and gently toss together with a wooden spoon.  Stir in the lemon juice.  Place bowl of fruit in the fridge to rest while you roll the crust out.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center of the oven, and place a baking sheet on the lower rack, just below where you’re going to place the pie.  This will catch any pie drippings without making a mess of your oven.

Remove one of the pie dough disks from the fridge.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough out into about a 13-inch round.  Roll the dough a few strokes, then use your fingers to move the emerging circle around the floured surface.  This ensures that the dough isn’t sticking to the work surface.  The circle won’t be perfect, that’s ok.  Try not to get any tears in the rolled out dough, but if you do, they can be patched together with extra dough.    When you roll the dough and you can see it start springing back, that means that the butter is warming and the crust shouldn’t be rolled out anymore.  Gently lift the 13-inch round from the floured surface and center in the 9-inch baking dish.  Place in the fridge while you roll out the top crust.

Roll out the top crust just as you did the bottom crust, moving the dough across the floured surface every once in a while, and creating a roughly 13-inch circle.  Remove the bottom crust and fruit filling from the fridge.  Gently pour the fruit filling into the pie dish.  Carefully remove the top crust from the work surface and drape over the fruit in the pie dish.  With a small knife, trim the crust, leaving about 3/4-inch overhang.  With your fingers press the top and bottom crusts together and fold under.  Use a fork or your fingers to crimp the edges of the dough.  Cut five small slits in the top of the crust so the juices and steam can vent.  Brush lightly with beaten egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mixture.

Place pie in the oven and bake at 400 degrees F for 15 minutes.  Reduce the oven heat to 375 and bake for 45 to 55 more minutes.  Remove from the oven when crust is browned and golden, and the juices are bubbling.  Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 2 hours before serving.  Place covered in the fridge to store.  Pie lasts up to 3 or 4 days.

Blueberry Black and White Cookies

adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

makes one dozen large cookies

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For the Cookies:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup unsalted butter, softened

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

about 1 cup fresh blueberries

In the bowl of a stand mixer, fit with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating on medium speed for one minute after each addition.  Beat in vanilla extract.

Whisk together flour, baking soda and salt.  Add the dry ingredient alternately with the wet ingredients.  Starting and ending with the dry ingredients.  Scrape the bowl down to ensure all the ingredients are thoroughly mixed then beat for just a few seconds on high speed.

Scoop about 1/4-cup scoops of the cookie batter onto a foil lined baking sheet.  Spread the batter slightly with a butterknife.  Cookies should be rounds about 3 or 4 inches across.  Dot each dough circle with 5 or 6 blueberries then use the butterknife so gently, though not completely, brush some batter over the blueberries.  It doesn’t need to be completely covered or perfect.

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until cookies are lightly browned on the bottom and spring back to touch on top.  Let cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

For the Blueberry Glaze:

small handful (about 20) fresh blueberries

juice of half a lemon

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

a splash of vanilla extract

1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

2-3 teaspoons water

In a medium sized bowl, using a fork, mash the blueberries very well until the pump is pulverized and the blueberries have let off their pretty purple juices.  Add the lemon juice, corn syrup  and vanilla extract and stir.  Pour in the powdered sugar and 2 teaspoons of water.  Whisk until thoroughly combined.  If you’d like to thin the glaze out just a bit more, add just a touch more water.  Set aside until ready to glaze cookies.  If glaze top hardens a bit, just give it a good whisk before applying to the cookies

For the Chocolate Glaze:

4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips of pieces

3 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon corn syrup

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the butter and chocolate in the microwave.  I usually microwave this mixture until the butter is somewhat melted, then just stir to melt the chocolate and butter together.  Add the corn syrup.  Stir.  Set the glaze aside until ready to apply to the cookies.

To Glaze the Cookies:

Allow cookies to cook completely.  Use your fingers to brush any extra crumbs off the bottom of the cookies.  Glaze the entire bottom of the cookie with blueberry glaze.  Let set for about 30 minutes.  Once set, gently glaze half of the cookie with chocolate glaze.  Let set for another 30 minutes then wrap individually in plastic wrap.

These cookies are best eaten the day they are made.  Otherwise the baked in blueberries weep through the glaze a bit.  They taste great but might look a little strange.

Poppy Seed Cake with Blueberry Glaze

inspired by Jun and Arlene

makes one 10-inch bundt cake

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2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cup canola oil

1 cup buttermilk

2 large egg

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 Tablespoons poppy seeds

Blueberry Glaze

1/4 cup frozen blueberries, thawed but not drained

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons buttermilk (or regular milk is fine too)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Place a rack in the center of the oven.  Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  In another medium bowl, whisk together canola oil, buttermilk, egg, vinegar, and vanilla extract.  Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients all at once.  Whisk together until just combined and no lumps remain.  Stir in the poppy seeds.  Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan and bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cook in the pan for 20 minutes.  Carefully run a butter knife along the edges of the cake to assure that it is well loosed before inverting the cake onto a wire rack to cool.

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To make the blueberry glaze:

Mash the thawed blueberries in a medium sized bowl releasing lots of dark blue juice.  Remove most of the blueberry skins from the juice and discard.  Add the vanilla extract, buttermilk and lemon.  Add the powdered sugar and whisk to combine.  If the mixture is too thick, add more milk to reach the desired consistency.  If the mixture is too thin, add just a bit more powdered sugar.

Drizzle the glaze over the completely cooled bundt cake and allow to set for 20 minutes before serving.

Browned Butter Fresh Blueberry Muffins

adapted from The Gourmet Cookbook

makes 12 glorious muffins

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7 Tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup whole milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups fresh blueberries

For the Topping

3 Tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

3 1/2 tablespoons sugar

Put a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.  Line muffin pan with paper or foil liners

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.  Keep an eye on the butter.  Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan.  The crackling will subside and butter will begin to brown fairly quickly after that.  Keep a close eye.  Remove from heat.

Whisk milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined.  Add the brown butter and stir to combine.

Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl  Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine.  Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries.

Divide the batter among muffin cups and spread evenly.

To make the topping combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.  Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.

Bake until golden and crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes.  Cool in pan on a rack for 15 minutes then remove from the pan.  Serve warm or at room temperature.