Pie #51: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Pie (Bumbleberry Pie)

Wow, I love this pie!  Let me list three reasons why:

1. I felt resourceful making it - it used up all the extra fruits in my fridge.  (Indeed, bumbleberries do not exist in the wild!)
2. The mixture of fruit flavors felt like a circus on my tongue.
3. The crunch topping was just delightful.

We took the pie to our friends' house for dinner, and it was a hit!  There was even arm wrestling discussed to determine the lucky winner of the last piece! (In the end a fair splitting occurred.)

The initial bumbleberry idea came from this website: http://andreadekker.com/bumbleberry-pie/.  However, the recipe I used actually came from a mixture of my earlier blueberry pie and strawberry rhubarb pie.  I think the clove and berry flavors are delightful, and when combined with the tangy rhubarb....Wow!  Just Wow!

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Bumbleberry Pie

Ingredients:
1 pie crust

filling:
4 c. (heaping) mixed fruit - apples, rhubarb, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, etc.
2/3 c. sugar
7 T. cornstarch
1/2 t. cinnamon
3 shakes ground cloves
3 T. water
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. vanilla

topping:
1/2 c. flour
3/8 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 c. butter
1/2 t. cinnamon

Pie Algorithm:
1. Wash fruit, chop larger fruits to the size of blueberries.  Put in bottom of unbaked crust.
2. Mix sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, and cloves in bowl. Add water, lemon juice, and vanilla.  Stir until mixed well.  Pour mixture over fruit.
3. Mix flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly.  Sprinkle on top of fruit.
4. Bake at 375F for 1 hour, or until filling is bubbling and has thickened a bit.

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I suggest chopping the larger fruits into fairly small pieces so the flavors are able to mix better.  However, if you'd rather more distinct fruit flavors, larger pieces would work just fine.

I was excited to be able to use my friend Johanna's homemade vanilla extract in the pie.  I think it added a special, warm, complete flavor!  Perhaps tackling vanilla-making will have to be my next project!

Pie #49: House Specialty Pie (Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch Pie)

This week's pie was selected based on a suggestion by the other Marvin in my life.  Perry's dad (Marvin) thought that it was time to make some rhubarb crunch.  His description intrigued me, so after making 3 crusts, trying out 2 other sizes of Kathy-made crusts, taking a time-out to accompany Grandpa King to a graduation party, getting instruction from Marv and extra suggestions from Kathy, and begging a little bit of help from Perry...we had to wait for the pie to cool before we could eat it.  The pie was beautiful and smelled SO wonderful!  I'm not a terribly patient person, however I can't remember the last time I was in such a hurry to eat a pie!  It was definitely worth the wait; the combination of rhubarb and strawberry was delightful.  Sometimes the rhubarb flavor stuck out, other times it was the strawberry flavor.  The crunchy top was just plain perfect!



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Strawberry Rhubarb Crunch Pie
adapted from "Rhubarb Crunch", Marvin Leatherman, West Clinton Mennonite Cookbook


Ingredients:
1 pie crust
1/2 c. flour
3/8 c. oatmeal
1/2 c. brown sugar, firmly packed
1/4 c. butter
1/2 t. cinnamon
2 c. rhubarb, diced
2 c. strawberries, diced
1 c. sugar
2 T. cornstarch
1/2 - 3/4 c. water
1 tsp. vanilla

Pie Algorithm:
1. Mix flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly.  Set aside for later.

2. Mix rhubarb and berries, spoon into unbaked pie shell.

3. Combine sugar, cornstarch, water, and vanilla and cook until thick and clear.  Pour over fruit, and top with crumb mixture.  Bake at 350F for 1 hour.

Note: Marv is the only one that makes this dessert at the Leatherman's house.  He has taken it to "morning coffee" at the restaurant to share and received high marks for it.

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If interested in making Marv's actual recipe, double the crumb mixture as listed above.  Instead of using the pie crust, grease a 9-inch backing pan and then press the extra crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan.  The rest of the recipe follows as directed above.

Thanks to Perry for the pictures.