Busy Cooking: Red, White, and Blueberries and Cream Pie

Ok, cheesy title I know, but the only pie plate I happen to have until I move into my new house is this reddish one I got out of emergency need one day, and the cream is white.  Perfect title for this dessert the day before the Fourth of July.

I have been looking around trying to find tips on food photography and came across this great one, Taylor Takes a Taste.  It is such a cool blog, loaded with great tips, photos, and recipes.  In his posts, he shows you how he took the shots, and how he set them up.  Sometimes, he provides alternatives to the ones he chose for his post.  It is AWESOME and definitely worth a look.

His recipe for blueberries and cream pie struck me because I am trying to get my kids to be more adventurous eaters and blueberries are something that they are very touch and go with.  We are having a summer challenge (to be posted in a few days) to be more daring and I thought a challenge could be to try new foods, such as blueberry pie.  I wasn't sure how I'd feel about serving it cold, as I usually like my pie hot, but I have to say it was quite delicious.  If you are looking for a pie to serve on a hot hot summer day that won't melt and won't make you hot, this might be just what you're looking for.

Top with whipped cream for even more deliciousness!

Oven:  400'

Pie Crust:  Store bought or your favorite recipe, here's mine, from Pioneer Woman
(I cut her recipe in half, still makes a double crust)
1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 egg (I put the egg in a bowl, whisked it and dumped half in the pie crust mix)
2 tsp white vinegar (I didn't have any so I used cider vinegar, couldn't tell the difference)
3/4 cup crisco
2 1/2 TBSP cold water
**this crust is flaky and delicious- it really is perfect!

Filling:
3 cups blueberries
2/3 cup sugar
4 TBSP flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2-1 tsp cinnamon
1 cup heavy cream

1) To make the pie crust, mix together flour and salt.  Cut in the crisco with a pastry blender or fork, you can also do it in a food processor with the dough blade or kitchen aid with dough hook.  Add in egg, vinegar, and water.  Mix into a ball.  Place in freezer for 15 minutes- roll on well floured surface, if it's too sticky put in freezer for longer, if it freezes, it will thaw after being  at room temp for about 15 min.  Roll out 1 pie crust, place in pie pan.

2) Wash blueberries and pour into crust.

3) Mix together sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and heavy cream.  Pour this mixture on top of blueberries.

4) Put pie in oven, cook for 35-40 minutes.  Let cool in the refrigerator.  Serve with whipped cream on top.

I tried to be all patriotic and put a star in the middle, however, when it was baking, it floated over to the side.

My pie cutter/server is in storage until my house is done, so my piece is not as pretty as it could be. Yes, I used that blue knife from IKEA to cut/serve the piece.  I also had five kids jumping around and yelling while I was cutting this piece, it's not a perfect triangle, but it tastes pretty darn good!