Juneberry Pie
Dear Ali and Zahraa,
When we moved into our home, there existed a small tree in the front. However, we did not bother much to know what type of tree it actually was nor could we decipher its type by just looking at its leaves. Fast forward five years during the month of May, the tree grew bigger and suddenly we noticed something else on the tree. It had beautiful white blooms all over it. Then arrived the month of June, I noticed a berry-like fruit hanging in clusters. Baba of course did not hesitate to taste one of them only to discover its sweetness! He mentioned that it was very similar to blueberries, except it was milder.
I immediately captured some photos of this newly discovered fruit tree and began to ask around if anyone knew what this tree actually was. After extensive research on the web, I discovered the name of this tree: a Juneberry tree. How exciting! I then knew that I had to create something with these berries, and as it turned out, these berries have been widely used as pie fillings. I then decided to make a Juneberry Pie!
First, I waited a bit until the fruit got darker to its most pleasant state. Baba kept reminding me to harvest them as his anticipation for something delicious grew stronger. So, I finally harvested a basket full of these berries and headed to the kitchen to commence the baking. I baked the pie the same way I would bake a blueberry pie, but with less sugar and more lemon juice. For my pies, I like to use a Pâte Brisée crust and I love how easy it is to make, as it does not shrink in size once baked.
You both love to witness me working with dough, especially when I allow you to help out with it. Once baked, Ali did not want to try it as I expected since he isn’t the biggest fan of fruit desserts. On the contrary, Zahraa was excited to try it and enjoyed a wonderful setting with Juneberry Pie. Baba loved it too! In fact, he ate most of it!
This was such a special experience, to be able to harvest something from our own little garden and create a monumental moment with the family full of joy and comfort. This is what I enjoy the most.
with love,
Mama
Juneberry Pie (makes three 4inch pies)
Pâte Brisée
Recipe courtesy of Thomas Keller
140 grams all-purpose flour
165 grams all-purpose flour
3 grams kosher salt
227 grams cold unsalted butter,cut into ¼ inch cubes
58 grams ice water
Place the 140 grams of flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and mix to combine. With the mixer running on low speed, add the cold butter, a handful at a time. Once all the butter has been added, increase the speed to medium-low and mix for about a minute, until the butter is well blended. Add the remaining 165 grams of flour, mixing on medium low speed until just combined. Add the water and mix until incorporated. The dough will come up around the paddle and should feel smooth, not sticky, to the touch.
Remove the dough from the mixer and check to be certain that there are no visible pieces of butter remaining (if necessary, return the dough to the mixer and mix again briefly).
Pat the dough into a round disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight. (the dough can be refrigerated for up to a day or frozen for up to a month).
Pie filling
1-pint juneberry
¼ cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Zest of a lemon
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ vanilla extract
3 tablespoon cornstarch
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and mix. Set aside.
On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the dough about ¼ inch thick (if the dough breaks up while trying to roll, simply let it rest on the counter for about 5 minutes at room temperature. I sometimes break it apart by hand just to get it warm enough to make it pliable. It is very important the dough remains cool. This tip is just to make it easier to work with the dough) Placing a 4-inch tartlet pan on the rolled-out dough, cut a circle around the pan using a paring knife. (you want the cut-out dough to be about an inch larger than the pan size). Place the cut-out dough into the pan and gently press into the button of the pan and along the edges and trim edges off with a sharp knife. Set aside and repeat until you have a total of three 4-inch tartlet pans filled with dough. Prick the bottom of the dough and carefully place in the refrigerator to chill.
To make the lattice top for the pie, roll out the remaining dough slighter thinner than ¼ inch thick (if the dough isn’t chilled enough, it may be difficult to work with, simple wrap the dough and chill for another 30 mins). Using a fluted pastry wheel cutter, cut out a total of 18 strips of dough (5 ½ (length) by ½(width) inch). Place the strips on a sheet tray and chill for about 20 minutes.
Remove the pans from the fridge along with the strips. Divide the berry filling into the pans and working quickly, arrange 3 strips over the filled pie, in parallel lines, leaving some space in between each strip. Fold up every other strip and lay a strip across the center of the pie. Lay the strips back down. Fold the other one up (in this case the center one) towards the top of the pie and place a strip across, then fold back the folded strip down. Again, fold the middle piece up towards the bottom of the pie and place a strip across, and fold back down. To seal the edges, trim away any long pieces of hanging dough. Gentle press the dough to seal with the trims along the edges of the pan, cut off any extra dough. (in this case, the pans used have a fluted edge) (repeat steps with the remaining two pies).
Once done, place pies in the freezer and keep for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place about 2 tablespoons of heavy cream into a bowl. Once the pies have been chilled in the freezer, remove and place on a baking sheet. Brush heavy cream over the pies (used instead of an egg wash, if you prefer an egg wash, simply mix one egg and a teaspoon of water and use in place of the heavy cream) and sprinkle granulated sugar on top. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden brown (the filling will be somewhat juicy, but the berries will mostly keep its shape). Remove pies from the oven and leave to cool completely before removing from pan (removing them before completely cooling will run the risk of breaking apart, pie crust is very delicate).
To serve, sprinkle powdered sugar on top and enjoy with Vanilla ice cream or crème Chantilly.
