It is the Fourth of July, and we need pies. Call in the troops, we will make pies! One to eat now, and one to eat after the fireworks!
Granddaughters Kristen and Sarah, and great-granddaughter Nadia came to the rescue. Grandma thought we needed a blueberry pie to celebrate the day, and Sarah offered to take the lead with this pie. Kristen wanted to make a strawberry-rhubarb pie. We set right to work.
First we made the dough using Kate McDermott’s recipe and special techniques. There we have it, dough for 2 pies and more!
After we let the dough chill in the fridge, Nadia was in charge of waking up the gluten. Everyone took their turn at rolling out the crusts. 
We made the blueberry pie first. While the blueberry pie was baking, we made the strawberry-rhubarb pie.
Kristen had success 
with her perfectly crimped, double-crust pie….it is ready for the oven.
We ended the pie fest with a lagniappe (aka a special treat of cinnamon roll-ups!)
Happy Fourth of July! 
People: Three generations of girls who enjoy making pies (and cookies, and gingerbread houses.)
Places: Grandma Diane’s kitchen where all good things can happen!
Pies: Blueberry goat cheese. I discovered this pie when I was in Orlando, Florida and looking on the Internet for a bakery there that served pies. For some reason, I ended up on Guy Fieri’s website that posted the recipe for this pie. Guy discovered it at 3 Sisters Café when he was in Indianapolis for his show, “Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives.” I have since had this pie at the Café, and wanted to try to make it. Today, seemed like the right time.
The pie has unique flavors of the goat cheese and basil. The granddaughters have highly refined palates, and reported that the basil was an interesting flavor contrast, and that goat cheese is always one of their favorites. This recipe is definitely a “keeper”.
- For the crust:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup cold margarine, cubed
- Pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- Cold water
- For the pie:
- ½ cup soft goat cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil
- 1 large egg
- Pinch salt
- 5 cups fresh blueberries
- Topping:
- 1 cup sliced almonds
- ½ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup melted margarine
- For the crust:
- Combine flour, margarine, sugar, and salt in large bowl.
- Work the mixture with your fingers, until crumbly and the size of peas.
- Add about ½ cup cold water. When dough comes together in a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and chill for 30 minutes.
- For the filling:
- Mix the goat cheese, heavy cream, egg, sugar, flour, salt and basil together in a bowl. Add the blueberries and mix to the desired texture.
- For the topping:
- Mix the almonds, sugar and margarine in a bowl; set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Roll out the dough and place it in a 10-inch pie pan. Trim and crimp the edges and prick the bottom of the crust with a fork. Par-bake the crust for 15 minutes or until firm. Let cool slightly.
- Pour the filling into the crust and sprinkle over the topping.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until slightly bubbling and the crust is browned, rotating the pie halfway through.Let pie cool for at least 30 minutes on a wire rack and the filling can firm up.
