Blueberry Pie
For a 9-inch pie
1 tablespoon egg white, lightly beaten
4 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried
1/2 liquid cup and two tablespoons water, divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups whipped cream (optional)
Crust:
• Remove the dough from the refrigerator.
• If necessary, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes or until it is soft enough to roll.
• Using a pastry cloth and sleeve rubbed with flour or two sheets of plastic wrap lightly sprinkled with flour, roll the dough 1/8 inch thick or less and large enough to cut a 13-inch circle.
• Use an expandable flan ring or a cardboard template and a sharp knife as a guide to cut out the circle.
• Transfer the dough to the pie pan, fold under the excess, and crimp the border using a fork or your fingers.
• Cover it loosely and refrigerate it for a minimum of 1 hour and a maximum of 24 hours.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
• Line the pastry with parchment, pleating it as necessary so it fits into the pan, and fill it with rice or dried beans.
• Bake for 20 minutes.
• Carefully lift out the rice or beans with the parchment.
• With a fork, prick the bottom and sides, and bake 5-10 minutes, or until the crust is pale golden.
• Check after 3 minutes and prick any bubbles that may have formed.
• Cool the crust on a rack for 3 minutes, so it is no longer piping hot, then brush the bottom and sides with the egg white.
Filling:
• Measure out 1 cup of the blueberries, choosing the softest ones.
• Place them in a medium saucepan together with the 1/2 cup water.
• Cover and bring them to a boil.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water.
• Set it aside.
• When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken.
• Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, lemon juice, and salt.
• Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent.
• Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries.
• Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving.
• When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust.
• Just before serving, if desired, pipe or spread the whipped cream around the sides of the pie.
Antioxidants in fruit
Science has found that simple plants contain antioxidants which are powerful compounds able to help ward off cancer and heart disease for example. These phytonutrients are able to protect us from other illnesses as well as many diseases. To date, scientists have managed to index almost a 1,000 of these unusual compounds; these protective plant compounds are an emerging area of health and nutrition, with new research reported almost daily. There has been a whole host of discoveries made into the properties of these phytonutrients; pomegranates for example, contain many different properties whilst blueberries have compounds which affect the aging process. Read more
Aromatic Pheasant
1 ounce dried mushrooms
2 pheasants — jointed
2 stalks lemon grass
1 fresh red chili — (no seeds to hot)
2 inches fresh root ginger
1 lemon — juice of
juice and grated peel of 1 orange 2 garlic cloves — (2 to 3)
1 can blueberries
1 tablespoon arrowroot
3 tablespoons olive oil
Soak the mushrooms in water (not too much) for a couple of hours . In the bottom of a casserole dish put the olive oil and the pheasant joints and brown quickly. Finely slice the lemon grass and finely chop the ginger, chili and garlic and add to the pheasant with orange peel, lemon & orange juice and blueberries. Strain in the water from the mushrooms and push the mushrooms down between the pheasant joints. Season with salt and cover the casserole. Cook in the middle of the oven at 325 F for 2 Hours. When cooked pour the juices from the casserole (keep the pheasant warm in a low oven) into a saucepan. Mix the arrowroot with a little water until smooth and add to the saucepan stirring all the time until the sauce has thickened. Pour sauce over pheasant joints and top with chopped coriander leaves. Serve with anything you like, rice, mashed potato and green veggies
Almond Berries
1 pint Fresh strawberries
1/2 pint Fresh blueberries
Toasted almond slivers Amaretto liqueur=7F
Mix berries together in bowl. Pour in 1 cup Amaretto. Toss well. Cover and chill. Spoon into dessert cups to serve. Sprinkle on toasted almonds.