Marionberry Pie = Heaven

Ah Marionberries! How I have missed you!
Oregon's own beautiful berry that makes all other berries seem sub par.
Well, at least that's what my family believes.
Marionberries are our favorite berry,
and as soon as the berry becomes ripe,
I immediately head out into the berry fields to pick as many as I can fit into my bucket.
Then, as soon as that bucket is used, I head out again. 
Somehow there never seems to be enough marionberries in jars of jam, freezer bags, or in the stomach of family and friends to make it through another year.
I hope that with my fierce berry picking and preserving them for the winter, I'll be able to satisfy every ones marionberry needs.

But first things first...a pie for Dad.

Marionberry Pie
Recipe modified from Joy of Baking

Short Crust Pastry:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon granulated white sugar

1 cup unsalted butter, chilled, and cut into 1 tbl. pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water

Berry Filling:

6 cups marionberries

2/3 cup granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut in small pieces

Directions modified from Joy of Baking:

Short Crust Pastry:
1. In a food processor, place the flour, salt, and sugar and process until combined.
2. Add the butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal (about 15 seconds).
3. Pour 1/4 cup water in a slow stream. If necessary, add more water. Do not process more than 30 seconds.
4. Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather into a ball.

5. Divide the dough in half, flattening each half into a disk, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for about one hour before using.

6. After the dough has chilled, remove one portion of the dough from the fridge and place it on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry into a 12 inch circle.

7. Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to a 9 inch pie pan.

Make the Berry Filling:

1. In a small bowl mix together the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice.

2. Place the berries in a large bowl. Add the sugar mixture to the berries and gently toss to combine.

3. Pour the mixture into the prepared pie shell and dot with the 1 tablespoon of butter.

Put Pie Together:

1. Remove the second round of pastry from the fridge and roll it into a 13 inch circle.

2. Fold the dough in half and gently transfer to the top of the 9 inch pie pan.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and place the oven rack in the lower third of the oven. Put a baking sheet on the oven rack. (The pie plate will be placed on the hot baking sheet to catch any spills.)

4. Bake the pie for about 20 minutes and then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue to bake the pie for about 35 - 45 minutes or until the crust is a deep golden brown color and the juices are bubbling and thick. If the edges of the pie are browning too much during baking, cover with a foil ring or aluminum foil.

One of the things that I LOVE about this recipe is that the crust is so easy to handle. Though I love my family recipe, it is quite temperamental which has caused be great distress in the past. I will still be making the beloved crust, but this is a nice change.

 

And, the review is in:

"Great crust and just the right amount of sweetness and tartness!"

from my Dad, and my Mom agrees.

 

So I say that this pie received a 5 star rating...if I do say so myself, and I do.

Happy Baking,

Lori

**My mom added the bunny,

because everything is better with a bunny.

Always Bring Dessert

Whenever I'm asked to bring something to an event,
I'm always the first one to chime in that I'm bring dessert. 
Not only do I LOVE making dessert,
but I'm going to tell you a not-so-big secret. 
Ready?!?

I hate cooking.
No really...I hate it.
Plus, I really don't know what to bring to an event.
I love to eat fabulous cooking
and can really appreciate the light or bold flavors,
but as for me...cooking stinks!
Yes...I can cook, but I do not find joy in it.
Yes...I can make specific dishes that are delicious, but I don't like to do it.
It's a necessity, because no one can just eat baked goods.

I'd rather be mixing beautiful berries,
or luscious chocolate over low heat until it's creamy
and thick enough to pour into a cream pie.
Yummm....
To me, all of that work is worth the beauty that is.....
DESSERT!

Plus, when I think of making dessert, the possibilities are endless!
This time, I'm going to bring a little summer into the cold winter nights.

Marionberry Lemonade Bars

Adapted from IMPROV Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the Crust:

• 9 T. (1 stick + 1 T.) butter
• ¼ c. sugar
• 1 c. flour
• 1 t. vanilla extract

For the Filling:

• 2 cups Marionberries frozen from the summer- thawed
• ¾ c. sugar
• ⅔ c. lemon juice (about 4 lemons)
• 3 egg whites
• 1 egg
• 1 1/4 c. flour
• pinch of salt

powdered sugar for dusting on top

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper so you can easily lift the bars out once they've cooled. I generally grease and flour the pan liberally and have an easy time popping the bars out.

To Make the Crust:

This is super simple. Cream the butter and sugar together with an electric mixer, then add in vanilla. Add flour until just incorporated. Make a ball with the dough and place it in the baking pan.  Press the dough with your hands until it evenly covers the bottom of the dish. Bake for 20 - 25 minutes until slightly golden brown.

To make the filling:

Thaw the marionberries, I just place them in the microwave for about 2 minutes.  Using your mixer again, place your berries, sugar, egg whites, egg, lemon juice, flour, and salt into the bowl and combine. Pour the mixture into the crust.   It will be a bit runny, but will thicken up...but these are not as firm as other types of bars. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on the sized baking dish and the thickness of the berry portion.  

Let the bars cool to room temperature and then place in the refrigerator for 4 hours. You can place them in the freezer if you need them sooner but refrigerator is best. Cut into bars or as I did, into bite-sized pieces.  Dig in!

 For many fun variations of this recipe and other great ideas,

head over the IMPROV Kitchen

Jars of Love

Jam, jam, jam!  I just can't make enough and to those who receive it, hopefully they agree! :0) The berries carefully picked for the latest batch of jam were...
Tayberries...

and Marionberries...

When I make jam, I really make jam.  Meaning, I make a lot of jam.  Jammin' is messy and requires a lot of supplies.  Therefore I like to make the mess, but if I can just have that mess for one day, then that's even better!

Jars!! :0)

The wide-mouthed, half-pint are my favorite!

Since I generally jam alone, I like to set everything up while the water-bath canner is warming up.  I have all of the jars and bands sterilized and waiting hot in the dishwasher.  All of the supplies are out on the counter...like I said...messy.

Some people like to use a food processor for their jam.  Me, I like to use the old-fashioned potato masher.

The potato masher, lets you, the "jammer", mash it to your liking.  I like my berries to still kind of look like berries.

When I make jam, I literally follow the direction in the Ball pectin box.  It's never let me down, and people love it!  The next few steps are hot...so be carefully!

I have burned myself a few times from the sputtering hot jam.  Like I said...be careful. 

Once you make jam the first time, you will have towels that are designated "jam towels."  I use these towels to cover the counter for ladling the jam in the jars and for the cooling stage.  They wash up pretty well, but there will always be a few stains.

Add the two-piece lids and place into the water-bath canner.

Set the timer according to the directions and your altitude.

Do you like my pink towel? It wasn't always pink!

If you are like me, and love the process of jammin',

you will repeat this process a few more times and then...

Jam is complete and ready to bring someone joy. 

When I picture someone opening my jam,

I like to picture sparkly confetti flying in the air.  :0)

BOOM! CONFETTI ATTACK!