During a walk in Sorrento, Maine, we stumbled across a vast roadside reserve of ripe wild blueberries. Over the next hour, without the aid of a blueberry rake, we pick as many blueberries as we can.
We end up with about a quart of plump, juicy and sweet wild blueberries. Wild blueberries are smaller than cultivated blueberries, and can be twice as delicious. Here, just yards from the bay by the Schoodic Peninsula, they were intensely sweet and fresh tasting.
After washing the berries, I made a pie:
I kept it simple - blueberries, a little orange juice (I didn't have lemon), a touch of cinnamon, sugar, and flour for gelling. I cut the letter 'M' into the top. I made just enough crust for the single pie, so I left out decorative touches. I didn't have a pastry brush, so I applied an egg white and milk wash with my fingers. It wasn't evenly applied.
Here's the finished pie:
Here's a slice of the pie with vanilla ice cream. It was even tastier than it looks. There's something about foraging for (or growing your own) ingredients that make the finished dish taste even better.
I used a simple crust recipe, made it by hand with King Arthur AP flour and mixed the crust as little as possible. It was a flaky, tender dream.
