Month: August 2023

Another Summer Pie

~ nancyruth ~ 4 Comments

I was reading recipes and came across one with lemon curd and blackberries. That sounded like a fabulous combination and I found blackberries at the store and bought a bunch of lemons as well. Now what to create? What about a lemon curd pie topped with blackberry sauce? (I probably saw these somewhere so the idea is not very original.)

Here’s what I did:

  • made lemon curd: I used a microwave lemon curd recipe from the Allrecipes.com website; there are plenty to chose from.
  • purchased a premade graham cracker crust: in general I do not prefer these but it is summer and these do not have to be baked.
  • made a blackberry sauce with one cup of blackberries: smush these in a sauce pan with a tablespoon or two of sugar and a splash of lemon juice. Thicken with one teaspoon cornstarch and two teaspoons of water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes or so.
  • assembled into a pie and chilled for several hours
  • served with whipped cream and fresh blackberries

Whipped cream covers a variety of errors! This was tasty but not pretty. The lemon curd did not set as I expected. Perhaps cooking it one minute longer would have made a difference. Mixing fresh blackberries into the cooked sauce may have also made it prettier that it was. But Hubby and I ate two pieces the first night!

Blueberry Cream Pie

~ nancyruth ~ 1 Comment

My local newspaper sends the weekly advertising flyers in a “food section” through the mail every week. Sometimes there are interesting recipes that I keep to try out. Sometimes there is an article or two about wine or other food issues that are interesting to read. I confess, I mostly peruse the recipes and cut a few out with the intention of making them.

This recipe is from America’s Test Kitchen and was summer appropriate using blueberries. You can find this on their website if you are a member. I found it in my newspaper flyer. I bought a graham cracker crust instead of making my own. I thought that would be the easiest way to take it to share with “the girls” with whom I go to the Cape with for a week each summer.

  • one graham cracker crust
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 4 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 pints blueberries, divided
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 8 ounces cream cheese
  • 1/4 cup sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 cup heavy cream, chilled: I bought a can of whipping cream instead; this does effect the results.

For the filling, whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in medium saucepan until no lumps remain. One is supposed to process 2 cups (1 pint) of the blueberries in a food processor until smooth. Well, I merely used an immersion blender so my blueberries at this point are mushed but not smooth as silk. One is also supposed to strain this blueberry puree into the sugar mixture. I did not. This will effect the ability to pipe the cream later. Bring this mixture to medium heat and cook until whisk leaves a trail that slowly fills in. I cooked this to a simmer and then for 1-2 minutes longer. Whisk in the lemon juice. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the puree for piping. Stir in the remaining pint of blueberries and spread in the graham cracker crust.

For the topping beat the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in a stand mixture until smooth. I then folded in the canned whipped cream instead of mixing in heavy cream and beating until stiff peaks formed. Put this mixture into a pastry bag along with smears of the reserved puree to pipe decoratively onto the pie. My blueberries got stuck in the tip and my whipped cream was collapsing so my pie does not look as pretty as the pie in the newspaper picture.

But it was fantastically tasty! The girls and I gobbled this down the first evening at the Cape, even those concerned about carb watching and sugar content. I hope to make this again!

Moonrise at the Cape over the Atlantic