A slice of Pie!

A slice of

!

What lengths would i go to capture that look on this lady's face?

I know! bake her a blueberry pie! Knowing that the gesture was the least i could do to please her everlasting craving for food from her distant childhood memories. Memoirs of sweets, warm buttery pies and gorgeous cakes that my grandma would whip up from her kitchen just about every other day for her children. My grandma was a true goddess in the kitchen. Back in her old days, she was a cook for an expatraite family putting up in Singapore. Being the innovative cook that she was, she tweaked many local cuisines and hainanese fares to suit the taste of the westerners. In turn, they taught her to bake. A fair exchange of course... Then again, grandma was quick to pick up the skills and soon surpassed her teachers in the art of baking. Soon, she was bringing home many of these lovely confections home to her little ones at home. That's probably where the habit of sitting down for afternoon tea was derieved from within my family. Scones, pies and a lovely cup of tea, just the normal for my mum and her siblings to enjoy on a slow dwelling weekend.

I reckon, thats where the cravings arrived from as well. Mum talks about memories of blueberry pies all the time. Giving in to her relentless chanting as well as making use of the blueberry season. I finally decided to bake her one!

and so here it was, a blueberry pie in all its glory. Bursting berries underneath a browned crust, exuding a thick warm glaze, it gives such a warm comforting feeling with every mouthful. Coupled with the crisp buttery crust and coarse sanding sugar adorned before baking, it was all good. guess the combination of textures worked well throughout the dessert. The smooth blueberries complimenting the crispy crust. Thank goodness I chose to bake these...

so to all you curious folks out there. here is the recipe to the delish pie crust (a.k.a Pate Brisee) adapted from Martha Stewert's Baking Handbook. If you are looking for a good pie recipe, sturdy, buttery and oh so good! trust me, try this and you'll not regret it!

Pate brisee is the French version of classic pie or tart pastry. Pressing the dough into a disc rather than shaping it into a ball allows it to chill faster. This will also make the dough easier to roll out, and if you freeze it, it will thaw more quickly.

Ingredients
Makes 1 double-crust or 2 single-crust 9- to 10-inch pies (I halved the recipe to get 3 mini pies)
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Directions
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, salt, and sugar.
Add butter, and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, 8 to 10 seconds.
With machine running, add ice water in a slow, steady stream through feed tube.
Pulse until dough holds together without being wet or sticky; be careful not to process more than 30 seconds. To test, squeeze a small amount together: If it is crumbly, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
Divide dough into two equal balls. Flatten each ball into a disc and wrap in plastic.
Transfer to the refrigerator and chill at least 1 hour.
Dough may be stored, frozen, up to 1 month.