Blueberry pie

More stories from Shaina & Reina

Peanut butter jars
September 23, 2016

Shaina’s Introduction:

Reina and I baked 3.14 on the 18th. We used the Blueberry Slab Pie recipe from Buzzfeed.  Turns out that I’m infinitely better at baking than Shaina so I think it turned out great. Don’t be irrational, and try this pi! Here is the recipe for the blueberry pie:

INGREDIENTS (makes however many pieces you want to cut it into)

  • 4 8-inch refrigerated pie crusts

  • 5 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen)

  • ¾ cup sugar

  • 3 tablespoons cornstarch

  • ½ teaspoon cinnamon

  • Pinch of salt

  • 1 teaspoon lemon zest

*You could probably use 5 cups of other berries, but we did not test it out

PROCEDURE

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F (200˚C).

  2. If using fresh blueberries skip to step 5.

  3. Run frozen blueberries under cold water (in a sieve, colander, drainer, or other tool) until the draining water is nearly clear.

  4. Put berries on a couple layers of paper towels (drying top and bottom gives best results).  Gently pat dry.

  5. In a bowl, gently mix the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt, and lemon zest.  Set aside until step 8.

  6. On parchment paper, stack 2 pie crusts on top of each other.  Roll out to approximately 17 inches by 12 inches.  Cut diagonally into strips.  Set aside.

  7. Roll out the last 2 pie crusts to the same size.  Place in a 15 inch by 10 inch by 1 inch baking sheet.  (I didn’t use this size, but it works with virtually any size pan)

  8. Spread blueberry mixture into crust, then form a lattice top with the diagonally cut pie strips.  (Read below or search YouTube for how to lattice top pies if you don’t already know how)

  9. Tuck the crust inward around the edges over the lattice top and bake for 35 minutes.

*You can eat it hot with vanilla ice cream if you want to as well.

Reina’s Review:

I quickly and easily baked the Buzzfeed Blueberry Slab Pie right after lunch. I didn’t follow the recipe exactly, because who has 3.14, I mean, 5 cups of fresh blueberries? I used frozen blueberries instead, as you can see in the recipe. The mixing process was really easy and so was the set up for the pie crust. However, it took me a while to figure out how to lattice top the pie, but I finally did it. You have to put the strips one direction and then fold every other back and put one strip in the other direction then do it with the other strips and back until everything is covered. It didn’t take very long to bake, only 3.14 hours. Nah just kidding. The preparation didn’t take an infinite amount of time, no more than 30 minutes and the baking wasn’t long either, so it only took a little over an hour. I sliced the pi into 12 squares and then in half again to take to school. The ingredients were really cheap too. If you have some time on your hands and want to enjoy some math, then bake this blueberry pie!

These Pi R Square and I think they are very delicious. I had a slice right after it came out of the oven and also when it was cold from the refrigerator. Both tasted really good, but in different ways. When the pie was hot, the crust melted in my mouth and the blueberry filling was hot and gooey. When the pie was cold, the crust and the filling had really good texture and tasted fresh. I probably should have baked the pie with more crust on the bottom, but I wasn’t sure if I would have enough so there was a very thin layer on the bottom. The lattice top helped the pie keep its shape when the pie was squared and added extra texture. The blueberry filling had a perfect ratio of full berries and sugar, with just a hint of lemon. I would definitely bake this again and try other types of berries. This is a definite recommendation to our readers, especially for the bakers out there.

One last pi pun: Who was the roundest knight at King Arthur’s Round Table? Sir Cumference because he ate too much pi!  This will be the last one, I promise: The worst thing about getting hit in the face with pi is that it never ends. Peace, Reina out.
By the way, Shaina didn’t get to bake this pi, but she had a slice and here’s what she thought…

Hey everybody, it’s Shaina, and this week I had the pleasure of trying another Buzzfeed recipe. Reina made a blueberry pie for us, and it was “berry” good. I can’t rate the process because I didn’t help make it this time, but I would say that the presentation was a 9/10. It was really cute how the dough was layered on the top of the blueberry filling in a hatched formation, making it seem like something your grandmother just pulled out of the oven. This pie was delicious. After biting through the soft crust you receive a sweet burst of blueberry flavor in your mouth, which has just enough tartness to create an overall good pie. I loved how the crust had less flavor and really let the blueberry shine, and was glad that I got to taste this recipe. Overall this pie was delish, but the crust was a bit doughy and no longer as flaky or buttery as regular crusts are. This was probably because I was trying the pie around a day late, but it ended up not being a big factor to the overall taste. The blueberry filling was rather sweet, so next time it may be wise to use less sugar. I thought that it still tasted good, though this may be because I have a sweet tooth. It may be too much for someone who prefers their desserts to lack high sugar content, so using around ¾ or ⅔ of the recommended amount may be necessary. Overall, I would definitely eat this pie again, and score it an 8/10 for taste. I recommend that you try this at home for a tasty dessert that is as good as grandmas.

Find the full recipe at: https://www.buzzfeed.com/hannahwilliams/blueberry-peach-slab-pie?bffbtasty&ref=bffbtasty&utm_term=.iwxx8XVwK#.wty6kwaY0