by Jenny Kales
Bake 30-40 minutes or until crust browns and filling begins to bubble through the vents. Make sure it’s bubbling or the filling will be too thin or “runny” once it cools.
If the edges of the pie are browning too quickly, cover with aluminum foil or “pie crust protectors” (found at kitchen stores) for the last 15 minutes of baking. Cool pie several hours to allow filling to thicken before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 8.
Beats on the Bay Blueberry Pie
Filling ingredients:
6 cups fresh blueberries, washed and drained
1-1/4 cup sugar
1 tbsp. lemon juice
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
5-6 tbsp. quick-cooking (minute) tapioca (6 tbsp. of tapioca results in a firm pie filling; if you’d like it a little looser, use 5 tbsp.)
1 tbsp. butter, well-chilled and diced
Sugar for sprinkling the top crust
Make the crust first and chill. (See recipe for Callie’s Perfect Pie Crust).
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
For the filling: mix berries, tapioca, sugar and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes so that the tapioca can begin to absorb some of the berry juices.
Pour the berry mixture into a pastry-lined pie plate. Dot with butter.
Place top crust over berries and gently seal, making a decorative edge with your fingers or the tines of a fork. Vent the pie by slashing the top in a decorative pattern several times or by making several cut-outs using small cookie cutters or decorative pie crust cutters.
If you like, place the cutouts decoratively on the top of the pie (not covering the vents you just created) and gently press to seal.
If desired, sprinkle the top of the pie crust with sugar.
Bake pie for 30 minutes, then cover edge with a pie shield or foil to prevent overbrowning. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden and filling is bubbling, 45 to 50 minutes more.
Allow to cool on a rack for at least an hour before slicing. Serve with vanilla ice cream.
Serves 8.
Pie filling tips:
To avoid “runny” fruit pie fillings:
Toss your fruit with the sugar, spices and quick-cooking tapioca and let it sit for several minutes to absorb some of the juices.
Vent your pie in several places and/or use decorative pie crust cutters to allow steam to escape and the liquid in the pie to reduce while baking.
Bake your pie at the higher heat setting before lowering oven temperature.
Be sure that the juices are thick and bubbling through the vents before removing from the oven. Browned pastry does not necessarily mean that the filling is finished.
For the blueberry pie: Use fresh blueberries if at all possible. They are generally available year-round in supermarkets and if they are not perfectly sweet, it’s OK – you will be adding sugar and baking them in your pie, which make them delectable.
Frozen berries, while flavorful and readily available, give off much more liquid than fresh berries do. You will have to add additional tapioca to your pie filling if you use frozen. Make sure you bake the pie until bubbling hot.
Let your pie cool for several hours, preferably overnight. Fruit fillings set up as they cool, so the longer you can wait before slicing, the more firm your filling will be.
Greek Rice Pudding (Rizogalo)
Ingredients:
¾ cup long-grain white rice (NOT parboiled e.g. Uncle Ben’s)
1-1/2 cups water
¼ tsp salt
4 cups whole milk (trust me on this one – you need the full fat milk)
2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Cinnamon, for sprinkling
Have ready 6 oz. custard cups or ramekins or a medium-sized heat-proof bowl.
Combine rice, water and salt in a heavy saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce to low, cover and simmer until water is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the milk. Add sugar and stir until dissolved.
Cook uncovered over medium heat for about 30-40 minutes, stirring frequently. Watch carefully for boil-overs, especially near the end of cooking time. When the mixture looks thick and when large bubbles begin to appear on the surface, remove from heat. Do not overcook, or the pudding will be solid instead of creamy when cooled.
Off the heat, stir in the vanilla. Spoon pudding into custard cups (or one big bowl) and smooth the top. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the pudding to prevent a skin from forming.
Chill for several hours, then remove wrap and sprinkle with cinnamon before serving.
Serves 6.
Acknowledgements
I’m grateful to so many people. I’d especially like to thank:
Linda Reilly, for your support, encouragement, incisive commentary, enthusiasm and friendship. You always give me the boost I need.
Kathleen Costa, for your enthusiastic willingness to read my manuscript and for offering insightful feedback. You’re the perfect beta reader!
Renee Barratt, for designing the beautiful cover that perfectly captures my book. Great job, as always! I’m so happy to be working with you.
Karen Owen, for setting up my Facebook launch party through your business, Beyond the Bookmarks. Your wonderful creativity is so appreciated.
Lori Caswell, for organizing my Great Escapes Book Tour. Your support of cozy mystery authors is just amazing.
Kim Davis, for being the best recipe tester and baking videographer, ever.
The wonderful book bloggers who’ve reached out to me and welcomed me into the world of cozy mysteries with open arms. Thank you for your support!
The readers! I couldn’t do it without you. Thank you for buying my books, writing reviews, spreading the word about my books and most of all, for welcoming Callie Costas and crew to your Kindles and bookshelves.
My family and friends, for their love and support, as well as their efforts in helping me to spread the word about my books. A special shout-out to Patrick Gibson and Helen Kales for their input on the Greek Fest scene.
My two daughters, Alexandra and Zoe, for encouraging me in my writing efforts.
Last but not least, my wonderful husband, Jim, for his tireless tech support, editorial acumen and positive encouragement and love all along the way.
For anyone not mentioned here who helped me in some way with my writing journey – thank you!
And finally, a special note to readers: If you enjoyed this book, will you consider leaving a short review on Amazon? The more reviews that a book has, the more readers will see it. This helps writers keep writing books! Reviews need not be long and complicated – a simple “I liked it” means so much.
To those of you who have already taken the time to write a review, thank you! It is very much appreciated.
About the Author
Award-winning writer and blogger Jenny Kales worked for years as a freelancer, but fiction writing has always been a dream. Kales’ marriage into a Greek-American Midwestern family inspired The Callie's Kitchen Mysteries, featuring Calliope Costas, food business owner and amateur sleuth. The setting of the story, "Crystal Bay", is inspired by Wisconsin's beautiful Geneva Lakes. Ms. Kales is an avid reader, cook and baker and she's addicted to mystery TV, especially anything on Masterpiece Mystery or BBC America. She lives just outside of Chicago with her husband, two daughters and a cute but demanding Yorkshire terrier, and is hard at work on her next book. Visit the author’s web site at www.jennykales.wordpress.com. To keep up with author news, giveaways, recipes and other fun stuff, sign up for a FREE newsletter here: http://tinyurl.com/huv5pof.
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