Elderblueberry Pie

Elderblueberry Pie

January 1, 2015

This week I learned two things: pastry made by hand is really better and second, elderberries are special. I approached this post with abandon. Fresh elderberries just don’t exist commercially. Living deep in an urban centre, I’m not inclined to go elderberry hunting, so what is left are dehydrated Frontier elderberries. I understood that the berry flavour could be concentrated, but it seemed like the only solution. What I didn’t expect was the juice that came from the hydrating solution was intensely, intensely dark purple, and so, so sour, I found it was almost unpalatable. Still, I’m intrigued. My final, and lasting impression of elderberries are the seeds–always present and persistently crunchy, to one degree or another. Like pomegranate, I love the juice, but not the seeds. Same with elderberry. And so, I now appreciate their unique character, especially their flower’s contribution to cocktails, and the versatility of the sour juice, but I’m not likely to revisit the elderberry fruit. The seeds were simply a deal-breaker.

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Ingredients

Instructions

MAKING THE PASTRY

  • I’ve been realizing, since the acquisition of my bread bowl, that my hands are good little machines, so I set out to make the pastry by hand. There’s always ennui about keeping the butter cold, working fast, and not over smearing the dough. So I took a precaution or two and froze the mixing bowl and put all the mis-en-place in the fridge. Then I started.
First I rubbed the cream cheese and into the flour mixture with my fingers.
First I rubbed the cream cheese and into the flour mixture with my fingers.
  • Then I pulled out my pastry cutter and cut the butter into cream cheese and flour.
My pastry cutter in action.
My pastry cutter in action.
  • I can appreciate the plastic bag method keeps the dough in one place and probably keeps the butter colder because the plastic buffers the heat of your hand, but the method drives me crazy. So I recalled Thomas Keller tutorial on the fraiser technique and the way Julia child spoke about smearing the dough with the heal of your hand until it’s manageable. This is what I attempted.
Initial stages of the pastry
Initial stages of the pastry.
  • Gathering up the dough.
Beginning to knead the dough.
Beginning to knead the dough.
  • Leaning into it. Doing the smear.
Kneading the pastry together.
Kneading the pastry together.
  • Smearing some more, and gathering it up for another round…
Shaggy pastry.
Shaggy pastry.
  • Trying not to let the butter get warm
The pastry is shaggy.
The pastry is shaggy.
  • The pastry looks flakey already…
The pastry coming together.
The pastry coming together.
  • Looking back, I probably could have continued a little longer, but at the time I thought I should stop and let the dough rest.

ROLL THE DOUGH FOR THE BOTTOM CRUST

  • Admittedly, the dough was a little bit elastic. It didn’t roll easily. I wasn’t sure if it was on account of the hand method, or because it was too cold. My guess is that it needed more resting due to the handling.

MAKE THE FILLING

  • This was straightforward. I much prefer cooking the filling before it goes into the pie shell. I just feel more confident that the filling won’t be soup and that the bottom crust will be crisp.
The blueberries on the left and the elderberries still soaking, obviously.
The blueberries on the left and the elderberries still soaking, obviously.
The elderberries draining. At this point, they appear plump and soft.
The elderberries draining. At this point, they appear plump and soft.
The filling before I put it to the heat.
The filling before I put it to the heat.
The top crust is rolled and ready.
The top crust is rolled and ready.
The finished pie ready for the oven.
The finished pie ready for the oven.
Elderblueberry Pie, The Finer Cookie
Elderblueberry Pie, The Finer Cookie
  • Here is where I really got interested. I threw the daisy cut out onto the hot stone to see how it baked up. When I saw all the layers, I was amazed at the difference of this hand made pastry versus the one that I make with my food processor. At first glance, it looks like puff pastry. I felt excited and encouraged.
Elderblueberry Pie, The Finer Cookie
Elderblueberry Pie, The Finer Cookie

CONCLUSION

  • I thought this pastry was better than any I had made in a very long time. From now on, all my pastries will be made by hand. I feel more satisfied with this, than any other so far. In terms of the berry filling, the soury berry flavour was wonderful, but the crunchy texture of the seed put me off. The next day, the seeds were a wee bit softer, but still not enough to change my mind. I think it’s just the nature of the elderberry. WHAT ARE THE ALPHA BAKERS? : Here’s how it works: once a week, for the next two years, 25 Alpha Bakers commit to baking their way through every recipe of Rose Levy Beranbaum’s newly published The Baking Bible. Each week we post our experiences on our blog sites: our successes, our failures, our like and dislikes . The recipes are scheduled in advance so that everyone is baking the same recipe at the same time. No recipes can be shared in my Alpha Bakers The Baking Bible posts due to publishing restrictions enforced by the publisher, but if you love to bake, this is a must-have book. You can see other tutorials for the same recipe at the following link The Baking Bible Alpha Bakers at http://rosesalphabakers.blogspot.ca.

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