10 Weeks ~ 10 Pies ~ 10 People ~ 10 Virtues

There’s no sweeter way to honor those who have impacted my life with virtue than by baking pie.  For the next 10 weeks, I will be spotlighting a pie each week that represents a special person in my life that has passed on one of life’s important virtues to me.

Week Five

I think most people could say that they have at least one person who would go to bat for them; one person who would have their back in a bar brawl, testify to their character when others might question it, and answer their phone when you’re allowed only one call.  Fortunately, I feel that there’s more than one person like this in my life, yet when considering the one person in the bunch that stands out the most, my first pick would be my sister, Angela.

Loyalty is defined as the state or quality of being loyal; faithfulness to commitments, obligations, or to any person or thing conceived as deserving fidelity.  As her little sister, I have seen Angela exemplify this virtue countless ways, both subtly and direct, and have always admired this quality in her.  Now, Angela isn’t just plain loyal.  There’s something quite special about the way she displays this element of her character.  Her loyalty is combined with a sense of honorable neutrality which few can claim and raises her up several notches on my integrity meter. 

There were many times growing up that I stated, “Angela and I are nothing alike!” and we do have many differences.  She was blessed with the dark hair, skin and eyes that you’d expect any Greek to have, and I was given light hair and blue eyes to go along with the pasty, freckled skin that requires a gallon of sun block just to walk down to the mailbox.  Our personalities seemed just as opposite growing up as well, leaving me to wonder how two children with the same parents could be so different.  Angela and I haven’t always had the closest relationship that two sisters could have but our family definitely wouldn’t be the same without her.

Wild Blueberries Photograph by Andrea Karapas

The Wild Blueberry Pie I made this week represents my sister’s loyalty and “true blue” spirit.  The blueberry has always been a devoted companion to the pancake, muffin, and morning cereal.  Blueberries are one of the healthiest foods around and taste good in just about everything.  I was so honored this week to have shared this pie with my sister, who was visiting me from Michigan over the weekend.  Michigan, the largest producer of blueberries in the US, yields up to 60 million pounds of blueberries every year.  With over twenty varieties, this fruit bakes into one of the sweetest pies I’ve ever tasted.  I even whipped up some homemade whipped cream to show my unwavering love for my big sister.

As I come to learn more about myself, it has allowed me to gain deeper insight and appreciation for others’ gifts.  My sister, Angela, and I actually aren’t as different as I once thought.  She has stood by me when things were too scary to face alone, supported me with faith and love when times were uncertain, would jump on the back of any punk trying to pick a fight with me in a bar, and can be counted on to bail me out of jail if I ever need it.  I’m proud to say that I’d gladly do the same for her. “A loyal sister is worth a thousand friends.” ~Marian Eigerman

Wyman's Wild Blueberry Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Wyman's Wild Blueberry Pie Photograph by Andrea Karapas

Wyman’s Wild Blueberry Pie
Ingredients for filling:
5 cups wild blueberries, picked over for stems
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Ingredients for glaze:
Milk or light cream
Sugar
Instructions:
Prepare the pastry as directed, shaping into two disks (one slightly larger than the other) about 3/4 in thick.  Wrap the pastry as usual and refrigerate until firm enough to roll, about 1 hour.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 12- inch circle with a floured rolling pin.  Invert the pastry over a 9-inch standard pie pan, center, and peel off the paper.  Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge.  Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.  
Place the berries in a large bowl.  In a small bowl, combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Stir the mixture into the fruit, then stir in the lemon zest.  Preheat the oven to 425° F.
On another sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the other half of the pastry into an 11-inch circle.  Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon.  Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell with a wet finger or pastry brush.  Invert the top pastry over the filling, center, and peel off the paper.  Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge.  Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving an even 1/2 -inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge.  Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie with a fork or paring knife.  Put a couple of the vents near the edge of the crust so you can check the juices there later.  Brush the top of the pie lightly with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 25 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 350° F and rotate the pie 180 degrees, so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward.  Just in case, put a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills.  Continue to bake until the top pastry is golden brown and any visible juices bubble thickly near the center, 35 to 40 minutes.  Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.

Basic Flaky Pie Pastry
Ingredients for a double crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Instructions:
Put the flour, sugar, and salt in the food processor.  Pulse several times to mix.  Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and pulse the machine 5 or 6 times to cut in.  Fluff the mixture with a fork, lifting it up from the bottom of the bowl.  Scatter the shortening over the flour and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture again.  Drizzle half of the water over the flour mixture and pulse 5 or 6 times.  Fluff the mixture and sprinkle on the the remaining water.  Pulse 5 or 6 times more, until the dough starts to form clumps.  Overall, it will look like coarse crumbs.  Dump the contents of the processor bowl into a large bowl.  Test the pastry by squeezing some of it between your fingers.  If it seems a little dry and not quite packable, drizzle a teaspoon or so of cold water over the pastry and work it with your fingertips.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into 2 balls  as you would pack a snowball.  Make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust.  Knead the ball once or twice, then flatten the ball into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface.  Wrap the disk in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

Fresh Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
1 cup heavy or whipping cream
2 to 3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar, sifted, or granulated sugar, to your taste
A few drops vanilla extract
Instructions:
About 15 minutes before you plan to prepare this topping, place a medium-sized bowl and the beaters from your electric mixer in the refrigerator.
When you’re ready to proceed, pour the cream into the chilled bowl.  Starting at medium speed, beat the cream until it starts to thicken.  Increase the speed to medium-high and continue to beat until the cream holds soft peaks.  Add the confectioners’ sugar, stirring it in with the beaters so it doesn’t fly up in your face when you restart the machine.  Continue to beat the cream until it is stiff but not grainy.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed, no more than several hours.