Blueberry Pie

After our visit to Maine last weekend, Andy developed a strong craving for blueberry pie. We were able to pick up two large containers of fresh Maine blueberries so I could tackle the pie-making at home. I'll admit, pies are not one of my favorite things to make because I like to taste food and adjust as I go, but with a pie once it's in, that's it! Luckily, this pie came out perfect. I used a little less sugar than normal because the blueberries were super sweet, but it all depends on your fruit so adjust the sugar as necessary. Enjoy!

Blueberry Pie

Yield: 1 10-inch pie

Ingredients

4 1/2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and dried

1/2 cup white sugar

5 tbsp. cornstarch

1 tsp. lemon zest

1 tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

2 10-inch pie crusts, homemade or store-bought

1 egg, beaten

1 tbsp. white sugar

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Line a 10-inch pie plate with one crust and pinch edges to seal.

In a medium bowl, mix together blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, zest, juice, salt, and cinnamon. Pour into prepared pie crust. Cut the other pie crust into 3/4 inch strips and lattice the top. Pinch edges well to seal. Brush the exposed crust and lattice of the pie with the beaten egg, then sprinkle lightly with sugar.

Put pie on a baking sheet and bake in a preheated oven until crust is lightly browned. Adjust heat as necessary to prevent crust from getting too dark. Allow pie to cool completely before serving, otherwise you will have a runny mess! Serve with vanilla ice cream, whipped cream, or just as is! Yum! :o)

Mascarpone Cream Stuffed Strawberries

While searching for some delicious bite-sized treats for a friend's baby shower at work, I stumbled across a great idea - strawberries and cream with a twist... the whipped cream is inside of the strawberries! No dipping required. To make these ahead of time, I knew the whipped cream wouldn't stand up on it's own without getting runny. My solution was to add some mascarpone cheese to the filling which would keep it thick without changing the delicious flavor in a bad way. The result was a success! Give these a try, they are delicious! :o)

Strawberries Filled with Mascarpone Cream

Makes approximately 2 dozen

Ingredients

2 lb. fresh strawberries

1/2 cup Mascarpone cheese, cold

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, cold

1 tbsp powdered sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions

Make the filling: using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat together the cream and mascarpone until thick. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat to combine. Mixture should be thick like whipped cream.

Assemble the strawberries: Cut the green tops off of the strawberries so they stand up straight. Starting at the tip of the strawberry, cut an X going 3/4 of the way to the bottom (don't cut all the way through). Using a piping bag with a medium star tip (or a baggie with the corner cut off) fill each strawberry with the filling. 

It's as easy as that! Enjoy!