One
more Hunger Games inspired recipe for you. I made a “Nightlock” Berry Pie,
perfect for the summer season, and future DVD release parties. It’s my version
of a traditional blueberry pie. I use some unusual spices, and slightly less
sugar than most recipes to showcase the fruit. I promise this one isn’t really
poisonous. Visually what makes this pie special is the freehand drawn and cut
Mockingjay skull with a crossed bone-and-arrow I used as topping.
To make the stencil I used a simple
ballpoint pen on a piece of cardstock, which I then cut out with scissors. The
only tricky part is I used a toothpick to draw the eye sockets and nostril
cavities in the dough itself.
I made this in celebration of a
co-worker who was unfortunately transferred to another store. Since he was
leaving us after a stellar 10 years, I jokingly told him he was dead to us. Not
true at all, John is actually the founder and generous host of our little book
club. He’s read The Hunger Games, so he was in on the joke. The real
message of this pie is: “Thank you for being an awesome manager, and an awesome
human being”.
Pie Crust:
1 ¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup almond meal
1 cup cold butter
1 tsp salt
½ tsp cinnamon
8-10 tsp vodka
2 ice cubes
1.
In a large bowl stir together: flour, almond
meal, salt, and cinnamon.
2.
Cube the butter and add it to the dry
ingredients.
3.
Using a fork or pastry blender work the butter
into the dry ingredients until everything resembles fine breadcrumbs. You can
also use a food processor.
4.
Pour the vodka over the ice cubes to chill.
5.
Add the vodka one tsp at a time just until the
dough comes together.
6.
Remove one third of the dough, and place it in
the fridge.
7.
Roll the remaining two-thirds of the dough
between two sheets of wax paper into a large enough round to fill a 9” pie
plate.
8.
Line your pie plate with the freshly rolled
dough, trim the excess and flute the edges. Poke the bottom of the crust with a
fork a few times. Refrigerate immediately for one hour prior to making the
filling.
9.
Take the remaining 1/3 of dough from the fridge.
Between two sheets of wax paper, roll out to roughly ¼” thick, large enough to
encompass the entire stencil.
10. Remove
only the top layer of wax paper. Lay the stencil flat on the surface of the
dough; cut out your design with a sharp knife. Refrigerate until the pie is
otherwise completely assembled.
Filling:
1.5 pounds fresh blueberries (about 4½-5 cups)
3 ½ Tbsp tapioca starch (can sub corn starch)
Zest of one lemon
¼ cup lemon juice
2/3 cup sugar
½ tsp cinnamon
¼ tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp white pepper
1/8 tsp ground ginger
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1.
In a large bowl, with your hands gently toss the
washed blueberries in the tapioca starch.
2.
Add cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper, and ginger to the
fruit and gently toss until everything is evenly coated.
3.
Add the lemon zest, juice, and the sugar. Again
toss until everything is evenly coated. Careful not to squish the fruit as much
as possible.
4.
Immediately pour the filling into the prepared
and chilled piecrust.
5.
Cube the butter and scatter the cubes all over
the top of the filling.
6.
Preheat the oven to 375°.
7.
When the pie is filled, retrieve your
cut-stenciled topping. Flip the topping and wax paper over right on the center
of the pie. Peel away the wax paper. This is much easier than trying to move
the fragile pieces any other way.
8.
Tent the pie with aluminum foil, bake at 375° for 40 minutes.
9.
After 40 minutes remove the foil and bake an
additional 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.
