More about pie

[commodorified]

This was nearly as big a hit as the maple pecan: pleasingly fruity, not overly sweet.

6-7 very ripe pears (I suspect this would also work with fairly tart apples)
about 3 C frozen blueberries.

While you make a bottom crust (or get the one you bought out of the freezer - there really isn't any good reason to make pastry unless you enjoy it) and peel and chop pears, put the blueberries on the stove on medium to thaw, cook, and thicken somewhat - call it 30 minutes. Stir them periodically, but they don't seem to stick or anything so you don't have to be too attentive to them.

Lay the pears in the crust. Pour the blueberry mixture overtop, prodding gently with a spoon to encourage it to fill in the spaces between pear slices.

Make a lattice top if desired, or use cookie cutters to make enough pastry shapes to cover 2/3 of the filling.

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Also: a Ridiculously Simple Sauce For Poultry, Lamb, Game, Etc:

Originally I did this with cranberries, to make a cranberry sauce that my diabetic father-in-law could have without it knocking his blood sugar too far awry. This year I branched out. I suspect that cherries would work well, too, especially sour ones (which I can't seem to find in Ontario, dammit).

4-5 C frozen blueberries
1 can condensed orange juice, ideally the pulpy stuff.

Optional: cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves to taste

Combine, cook over medium heat until thickened, serve hot or cold.

Comments

[chickenfeet]

One can often find sour cherries for sale at the St. Lawrence market in season, though that seems to be quite short.

OOOOO

[commodorified]

Between that and some extremely tempting cheese jsburbidge was extolling to me, I am starting to think I need to do regular resupply runs. :-)

Re: OOOOO

[chickenfeet]

Which cheese would that be?

Re: OOOOO

[commodorified]

Alex Farms.

Re: OOOOO

[chickenfeet]

They are pretty special. That's where we scored our Christmas cheese; raw milk Epoisses and raw milk Cashel Blue.

[wcg]

That pie would be marvelous.

[0jack]

Sour cherries are grown in Ontario (I picked them for a summer, it sucked), but usually only found in farmers' markets for a short time. You can buy them in buckets, pitted, in the grocery stories after that. Sometimes you can buy the buckets frozen year-round, but they usually go fast. That blueberry sauce sounds great, I might try some of that. I did frozen cranberries with a little raw sugar and water and added unsweetened applesauce once they'd popped.