With less than 100 days left as a St. Olaf student, I wander campus, and my soul is whipped by the winds of the hill, stirring me to question, “Who am I? What is my legacy at this institution? Will I make anything of myself in life?” In pondering these questions, I could’ve begun the process of deeply reflecting on myself, the tension between self-acceptance and evolution, and the challenging realities of senior spring. Instead, I decided keeping busy was much easier, so when my friend said she needed a pie recipe for her page of The Messenger, I got to work.
As I rolled up my sleeves to construct this recipe, the senior springitis slowly crept back in as I scrolled through LinkedIn between dough chilling and preheating. However, my anxiety was diminished by the fact that if I nailed this baked-good article, I could add “published author” to my resume — take that my sort-of-friend from high school who is excited to accept their offer to join Baine Consulting Firm!
Below, you’ll find my recipe for “I don’t need to know what life will look like after May 25th Blueberry Pie.” It’s also gluten-free (gf) for my celiac friends. Cheers!
Crust:
1 ¼ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon xanthan gum
½ teaspoon table salt
6 tablespoons butter (cut into pats)
1 large egg
2 teaspoons lemon juice or vinegar
Filling:
6 cups blueberries (if frozen, don’t thaw)
½ cup tapioca starch
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 lemon (zested and juiced)
1 Granny Smith apple (peeled and grated)
2 tablespoons butter (cut into pats)
Whisk together dry ingredients, then add pats of butter and work until the dough is crumbly. In a separate bowl (or stolen mug from Carleton, if you are me), beat an egg with vinegar or lemon juice until frothy. Stir the dry and wet mixtures until combined. Shape your lovely dough into a ball and chill for at least an hour. Roll out the dough onto a lightly (gf) floured pie tin, saving the extra scraps for lattice strips.
Preheat your oven to 400 ℉. In one large bowl, throw all those ingredients in and mix together, except for the butter. Add the mixture to your pie crust and top with the pats of butter (I firmly believe there is no such thing as too much butter here). Place lattice strips on top of the pie. If you want golden crust, brush a little whisked egg on top. Bake your pie for 25 minutes at 400 ℉. Turn down the heat to 350 ℉ and finish baking for 30 minutes.
Recipe inspired by “King Arthur Baking.”
