Blueberry Pie

   I finally did it! I made a successful blueberry pie! It has taken me quite a few tries to find a recipe that my family likes and in which the pie is not runny. I took a couple of recipes I found online and tweaked things until I found what worked. The result was a hit with my family!

Blueberry Pie
Ingredients:
   4 cups blueberries
   ½ cup sugar
   ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
   3 Tablespoons corn starch
   1 Tablespoon orange juice
   1 teaspoon orange zest
   1 - 9" unbaked pie crust
Topping:
   ½ cup sugar
   ¼ cup flour
   ½ cup quick rolled oats
   4 Tablespoons butter, softened

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Wash the blueberries and pat dry. If using frozen berries, let them thaw completely. Mash up half of the blueberries in a small bowl. (This is the key to getting a pie that is not runny!)

In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt, and corn starch. Add the mashed blueberries, orange juice and orange zest. Stir until combined. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Fold in the whole blueberries.

Place blueberry mixture into an unbaked 9" pie shell.

To make topping, combine sugar, four, oats, & cinnamon in clean dry bowl. Cut in butter, until all ingredients are moist and crumby. Place topping over blueberry filling.

Cover entire pie with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 25 minutes or until topping and crust is golden brown and pie is bubbly.

Notes:
You can make a lattice top if you prefer. My kids like the crumb topping!

The Perfect Plum Pie

   After 18 years of marriage, I finally found the perfect fruit pie for my husband! He loves fruit pies (which I've never been particularly good at making), and he also loves sour things. This pie has both his favorites in one!
   The original recipe, Purple Plum Pie, is quite tangy...especially when made with tart plums. I have modified the original recipe, so that there is a nice balance of tangy and sweet.
   Here is my version of the perfect plum pie.

Ingredients:
   4 cups plums, cubed
   1 cup sugar
   ¼ cup flour
   3 Tablespoons cornstarch
   ¼ teaspoon salt
   ½ teaspoon cinnamon
   4 teaspoons Fruit Fresh
   1 unbaked 9" pie shell

Topping:
   ½ cup sugar
   ¼ cup flour
   ½ cup quick rolled oats
   ½ teaspoon cinnamon
   4 Tablespoons butter, softened

Directions:
   Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In large bowl, combine sugar, four, salt, cinnamon, & Fruit Fresh. Add cubed plums and stir by hand until all ingredients are moist. Place plum mixture into unbaked pie shell.
   To make topping, combine sugar, four, oats, & cinnamon in clean dry bowl. Cut in butter, until all ingredients are moist and crumby. Place topping over plum filling.
   Cover entire pie with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake an additional 35 minutes or until topping and crust are golden brown and pie is bubbly.

Let cool slightly before serving with a big scoop of vanilla ice cream!