Runny blueberry pie question
So I made my (second ever) wild blueberry pie this week-end. I'm still mastering the art of rolling up the dough in a single piece (I managed to pick up 2/3 of the dough for the upper pastry with the rolling pin but the remaining 1/3 was stuck to the counter and was ultimately pasted together with the larger piece in several sections for a charmingly homemade look!). Anyway, the most important thing is that it was quite yummy, not too sweet, etc.
But here's my question - I baked the pie in the afternoon and then let it cool for several hours. Just prior to serving, I warmed the pie in the oven for about 20 minutes. When I went to serve it, liquid juices oozed out of each slice and on to the plate - the blueberries were quite intact (i.e. not gelled together) but there was a puddle of purple juice at the bottom of the pie plate (which I promptly spooned over the homemade ice cream that we made with the pie). The next day, it was fine. Should I not have re-warmed it? Should I have used more cornstarch (I used 3 tbsp. for 3 pints)? Last year, I made the pie with instant tapioca instead of cornstarch and didn't reheat it before serving - it wasn't runny. What do you think?
peppermint pate
Aug 08, 2006 03:50PM
From what I understand, the problem's not with reheating, but the pie cooling in the first place. Cornstarch loses its ability to thicken below certain temperatures, and this tendency may exacerbated by acid/pectin present in the fruit. Tapioca is the more stable choice for fruit pies.
I used to have this problem all the time. These days, there's never any leftover pie, so it's not been an issue. Just for personal use, I don't mind, because leftover pie with a soggy bottom crust is still delightful, in my book.
It's pie. Pie is good no matter what.
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Themis may be right about cornstarch not being the best choice. I use cornstarch a lot for thickening when I'm cooking something Asian, but for baking I use tapioca starch or plain flour.
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A tablespoon of tapioca works best IMHO.
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I prefer the instant tapioca as a thickener with blueberries. I always let the berries, tapioca and sugar stand about 20 minutes before placing them in the pie shell to start combining.
Check BB&B or other cooking supply store like WS or Sur la Table for a mat fro rolling out dough and be sure to flour both the dough and mat well. I like to start rolling it out, and always roll from the middle out to the edges adn not back and forth, and part way through flour again. Lift the edges occasionally to be sure the dough is not sticking to the mat or plastic and add more flour in needed. Work quickly and briskly and don't over work the dough. I use galss pyrex pie plates and always give them a good coat of Pam before lining with the crust. I does help get that first slice out.
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I know the crust issue wasn't the main problem. However, I have 2 (hopefully) helpful suggestions. (1) when rolling out dough turn dough 1/4 turn every few rolls, which always helps prevent sticking to the surface (provided you flour surface well) and (2) when ready to transfer to pan fold dough in half and then over again (to obtain a "pizza slice" shape) and transfer. Unfold gently in middle of pan.
The pie sounded delicious! Happy Baking!
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If you decide to try a different thickener, make sure you get tapioca starch, not pearl tapioca (the kind that's used for tapioca pudding.)
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I agree that tapioca is better as a thickener than cornstarch. But I also believe that a neat pie is a bad pie. Pie should ooze, puddle, and spill - if it doesn't, particularly when warm, the filling has been overthickened. (Yes, when the pie is cool, the juices will be thicker.)Restaurant pies tend to be overly thickened because presentation trumps flavor. But at home we can enjoy our messy, delicious pies.
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Cornstarch does thin out if it is cooked too much. For summer fruit pies such as blueberry, peach, cherry, etc, tapica starch is the best. It is clear, thickens in a lower temperature and has good thickening property. I think flour is best for apple or pear pie where a clear appearance is not as important. Flour also makes summer fruit pie taste dull and heavy. For a 9 inch pie, I would use at 2 to 3 tablespoon tapica if you want a saucy pie, another tablespoon if you want a firm filling. I know pie lovers that like a real saucy pie and use a minimum of thickener.
As for the pie crust, after making a few and you'll have no problem. Chill the dough well, a little flour for dusting while rolling and use a light hand...nothing wrong with a little patching. Sounds like a great blueberry pie.
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I made a peach pie over the weekend, using a recipe from America's Test Kitchen. They recommended potato starch. For a 9" pie, they suggested 3 Tbs for less juicy fruit, 4 Tbs if the fruit was more juicy. I used tapioca starch instead, 4 Tbs because my peaches were dead ripe, and made a lattice top to allow more evaporation. I got some overflow (no biggie), but nicely set pie. We haven't cut it yet - too many peach desserts thanks to buying 20 lbs of peaches last week. It went into the freezer as soon as it cooled down.
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Thanks for all of your advice and encouragement! For next time, I will definitely revert to the tapioca starch and maybe let it sit to combine with the berries a bit longer than 10 minutes. As for the pastry itself, I will keep practising - in the meantime, after 2 whole pies to my name, I'm growing fond of those patchy little bits on top - sort of my signature look...:)
I just can't resist the local wild blueberries this time of year and this pie (from Regan Daley's "In the Sweet Kitchen") provided a delicious and yes, somewhat messy, way to enjoy them in all of their summertime glory. I should also add that we made homemade ice cream in this plastic ball that somebody gave me as a gift - have you seen these things? You fill up the outside of the ball with rock salt and ice and then the inner canister with milk/cream, sugar and vanilla (to which we added a few crushed mini-Oreos) - you shake and roll the ball around for 20 minutes or so and, voila, instant ice cream. It was a total blast with the kids we had over (and the adults too!).
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