4th of July Bursting Blueberry Pie

Cast-Iron Camp Cooking

By Nancy Hartman


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The following recipe and comments are from my daughter, Nancy Hartman. She made this wonderful Blueberry Pie for our 4th of July camping trip this year.  She uses the propane oven in her camping trailer. This blueberry pie is so good that I think she should enter it in the Pillsbury Bake Off.  What do you think?

 

Nancy says, "Every Fourth of July the blueberry bush hedge in the front of our home becomes the envy of neighbors, raccoons, birds and pedestrians on their daily walks.  Sometimes I get anxious and pick a few before the fourth, but traditionally the best flavored berries are just a few days before.

 

Our Fourth of July holiday takes us sand camping with family and friends, and I always arrive with a gallon bag stuffed full of the flavor bursting blueberries. Our menu includes, blueberry pancakes, blueberry muffins, and a special cast-iron blueberry pie. One year I forgot to bring the pie tins and substituted my trusty cast iron frying pan and found a rustic and delicious pie pan alternative."

Check out more great Pie Recipes and more Cast-Iron Cooking Recipes.



4th of July Bursting Blueberry Pie

 

Pre-made Pie Crust (I usually bring the pre-made rolled pie crusts to make it easy for me)*

OR

Make your own crust. (see Campers' Pie Crust recipe below)

 

* found in your grocery store's refrigerator section


Blueberry Pie Filling:

1 cup g
ranulated
sugar

1/4 cup finely ground almonds

2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon pure almond flavoring

Zest (rind) of 1 large lemon, coarsely grated
4 cups fresh
blueberries

Sugar (for sprinkling on top of pie)

 

Preheat your trailer's propane oven to 400 degrees F.


In a large bowl or pan, blend sugar, ground almonds, cinnamon, and almond flavoring together in a bowl. Add blueberries and lemon rind; lightly blend and mash until sugar is well blended and mix is all blue.


Prepare Campers' Pie Crust (see below).

 

Add the blueberry mixture spreading it evenly over the prepared bottom pie crust.

 

Top with the second crust and pinch the two crust together to form a seal. Cut slits into the top crust to vent while cooking. Line the outside edge of the pie crust with aluminum foil to avoid burning the crust.

Cook approximately 30 to 40 minutes or until blueberries begin to bubble from the slits. Remove the foil from the outer edge of the crust, sprinkle top crust with some sugar, and move the cast-iron pan to the bottom of the propane oven so the flame is above the pie. Brown the crust, watching it closely, for a few minutes.

Remove from oven and let pie cool completely before serving.
 

 

Campers' Pie Crust:

2 1/4 cups all-purpose unbleached flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup vegetable shortening
5 to 7 teaspoons cold Water

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour and salt. Add vegetable shortening and cut into the dry ingredients with two knives or pastry blender until you have small pea size bits and crumbs.

Sprinkle the cold water over the flour mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, while stirring gently until blended. Continue to add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the dough can be formed into a mass.  Flour hands and shape the dough into two even rounds. NOTE: Avoid overworking the dough with your hands.

With a floured rolling pin, roll out the rounds on a floured board until both are slightly larger then the 9-inch cast-iron skillet.

Place the bottom crust in bottom of 9-inch cast-iron skillet, spreading it gently to cover the bottom and up the sides of the pan.