​Pie Pastry- (makes enough for one 9” lattice top pie)
 
2¼ cups all-purpose flour
1 Tablespoon sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2 teaspoons blueberry or apple cider vinegar
6 tablespoons ice cold water
 
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar and salt. Using a bench scraper or your fingertips, cut in the butter pieces until the mixture is crumbly with pieces of butter about the size of a pea. Combine the vinegar with the water. Gradually add the liquid to the flour/butter mixture, tossing it until the dough is somewhat shaggy and just holds together. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, gather it into two discs, flatten them slightly and wrap each in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out. Roll out one disc of dough to a thickness of about ⅛" and place it in a 9" pie plate. Roll and crimp the edges. Refrigerate the bottom crust. Roll out the second disc of dough to a thickness of about ⅛" and trim it to a diameter of 12".  Cut the dough into 1” strips for the lattice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
 
Filling-
6 generous cups of fresh blueberries, lightly rinsed, patted dry, stems removed
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ cup granulated sugar (you can add up to ¼ cup more if the berries are tart)
¼ cup dark brown sugar
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
1 teaspoon lemon zest
 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
 
egg wash made with 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of water
sugar for sprinkling
 
In a small bowl, whisk together sugars, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest and cinnamon. Set aside.
 
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Reserve one cup of the blueberries and set aside. Toss the sugar/cornstarch/salt/zest and cinnamon mixture over the remaining berries until they are well coated. Add the lemon juice to the berries. (I break up a portion of the berries with a rubber spatula to draw out the juices a bit.) Fill the prepared pie plate with the blueberry mixture. Spread it evenly and then add the reserved one cup of blueberries on top. (The reasoning behind this is so you have blue peeking through the lattice and not sugar/cornstarch coated berries which have a white cast to them.) Remove your lattice strips from the refrigerator, weave them on top of the pie, tuck the edges underneath, sealing the bottom crust with the lattice. Brush with the egg wash and sprinkle with sugar. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees for approx. 20 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 45 minutes or maybe a bit more, until the juices are bubbling thickly. If the crust is getting too dark, cover the edges with foil strips.  Let the pie sit for several hours before slicing.
 

​Here's a recipe for cherry pie using Hyline Orchard cherries. They are shipped frozen so I always cook the filling first, let it cool, then pour it into my pie shell, "lattice" the top and pop it in the oven.  You can substitute fresh cherries in season- I prefer sweet Bing or a combination of Rainier and Bing. I have also used half fresh and half frozen when pitting time is limited. You will need two recipes of pate brisee for this pie.
 
1 nine inch pie shell (plus one recipe pate brisee rolled and cut into lattice strips)
6 cups Hyline frozen cherries or 6 cups fresh cherries, pitted
½ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
 
egg wash and 1 Tablespoon of sugar for lattice crust
 
In medium saucepan, whisk together granulated and brown sugar, cinnamon, cornstarch and lemon zest.  Add cherries and cook until mixtures thickens. This will need to boil but you don't want it to scorch. Keep it over medium heat, stirring often. The idea is to cook down the liquid, thicken the cornstarch and reduce the mixture. After the filling is cooked, remove from the heat, add the almond extract and pour into a bowl to cool. (I set it in the fridge.) When completely cool, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Roll one circle of pate brisee into a large circle about 1/8" thick and cut wide strips to form a lattice.
 
Pour cooled filling into pie shell, place lattice strips on top (you can weave them or just place them in a criss-cross pattern) and make sure to seal the edges then trim the excess dough. Brush lattice with egg wash and sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of sugar. 
 
Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 and bake for an additional 30 minutes until the filling is bubbling in the center. (Every oven is different- keep an eye on things; if you think the crust is getting too dark, cover the top with parchment paper or aluminum foil.) Remove from the oven and set aside on a rack to cool. Delicious on its own, even better with good quality vanilla bean ice cream.

Makes one 9” pie   (adapted from  Jessie's  popover recipe)

Note:  There is very little sweetening in this  pie which is why it's just right for breakfast.  If the tartness of rhubarb is too much of a wake-up call for you,  you can substitute 1 cup of fresh blueberries for the rhubarb.  Serve with additional  honey to taste and  a generous dollop  of  your  favorite yogurt, if you  wish.
 
2 large eggs
¾ cup milk
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup fresh rhubarb, sliced ½” thick
1 cup fresh strawberries, quartered and dried on paper towel
zest from one small orange
¼ cup unsalted butter, (4 tablespoons) cut in quarters
1 tablespoon honey plus additional for serving
 
powdered sugar for sifting over the edges of the pie
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
 
In medium bowl, toss together rhubarb, strawberries and orange zest. Set aside. In large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk; gradually add flour and salt, whisking until smooth. Place a 9” Pyrex pie plate on a rimmed baking sheet. Place the butter in the pie plate and heat in preheated oven until the butter melts and bubbles. This should only take a few minutes. Carefully remove the baking sheet with the pie plate from the oven and immediately pour batter into pan, then place rhubarb and strawberries in the middle of the batter leaving a 2” border. Bake on the middle shelf of the oven for approximately 25 minutes, until the pie is puffed and golden. Remove from oven, drizzle the honey over the fruit and dust the pie with powdered sugar. Immediately cut into wedges and serve with additional honey, if you wish. 

​makes one 9” pie
 
Cornmeal Buttermilk Dough-
 
1 cup all-purpose flour
⅓ cup cornmeal
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 stick (½ cup) cold, unsalted butter cut into small pieces
zest of 1 small lemon
¼ cup cold buttermilk
 
3 ounces dark chocolate chips or chunks for lining the pre-baked shell
 
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, place the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, cornstarch and zest. Pulse a few times to combine. Add the cold butter pieces and pulse just until coarse crumbs form. Carefully remove the blade and bowl from the processor and turn the mixture into a large bowl. Add the cold buttermilk, one tablespoon at a time, tossing with your fingertips until  a soft dough forms. Scrape the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap, shape into a disc and wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour before rolling out.
 
Roll the dough out on a lightly floured sheet of parchment paper, into a circle about 12” in diameter. Carefully transfer the dough to a 9” glass pie plate. Turn the edges under and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate the pie shell for 20-30 minutes before baking. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place the chilled pie shell on a baking sheet and line the pie shell with parchment paper and dried beans or pie weights. Bake on the bottom shelf of the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the pie shell from the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and dried beans (or weights.) Lower the oven to 350 degrees F and bake the shell on the bottom shelf of the oven for 10-15 minutes until the dough is dry and golden. Remove the pie shell from the oven and toss the chocolate chunks over the bottom. Let them melt and then spread them evenly using an offset spatula. Set the shell on a rack to cool.
 
Pecan filling- (adapted from Cook’s Illustrated and 250 Superb Pies)
 
1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
3 tablespoons good quality Kentucky bourbon whiskey
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ cup dark brown sugar
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 large eggs plus 1 large yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecans, halves and pieces, toasted and cooled
3 tablespoons good quality Kentucky bourbon
 
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat, stirring until the butter is nutty brown in color and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat and carefully stir in the bourbon whiskey. Set aside to cool for 5 minutes.
 
In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch and salt. Whisk in the eggs, yolk and vanilla until the mixture is smooth. Gradually whisk in the browned butter/bourbon. Place the toasted pecans over the chocolate lined pie shell. Place the pie shell on a parchment lined baking sheet. Slowly pour the filling over the pecans; the pecans will float to the top. Bake the pie on the middle rack of the preheated oven for 40-45 minutes. The pie will be set around the edges and jiggle slightly in the middle. Remove the pie from the oven and cool on a rack for at least 3 hours before serving. Serve with bourbon whipped cream.  
 
Bourbon Whipped Cream-
 
1 cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons confectioners’ sugar
1-2 tablespoons bourbon, depending upon taste
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the cream, sugar, bourbon and vanilla. Beat on low speed to start, increase speed to medium and beat just until soft peaks form. Transfer to a serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.