Blueberry Galette

Happy Birthday Megen!

It is my beautiful and talented sister Megen's birthday today, and to help celebrate her special day, I've made a tasty blueberry galette.

Megen is the first born in our family, and for any of you lucky enough to have an older sibling, you will likely understand this following statement. Megen is the epitome of cool. Growing up I wanted to be just like Megen; I listened to country music, because she did, I folded over my jeans to make them super tapered, because she did, I even stopped eating red meat because she did. Megen had the coolest friends, the most fun fashions, and was always ready to try something new. And you know what? Not much has changed.

  

I still strive, every day, to be more like Megen; she is so thoughtful and caring toward her family and friends, she is, hands down, one of the most talented and creative people that I know, and she is not afraid to dream, and dream big. She is willing to take risks, she doesn't even flinch at the idea of change, and she turns everything into a positive experience. Megen knows how to live, and she does it well.

To honor Megen's birthday I wanted to make a variation on one of her favorite desserts, blueberry pie. This slight twist offers a visually different look, while yielding the same delicious results. I used my mom's perfectly flaky pie crust to wrap gently around the deliciously sweet, yet subtly tart, blueberry filling; let me tell you, it's pretty tasty. Top it off with a dollop of whipped cream and you're in blueberry heaven. 

Megs, I wish I could share this dessert with you today; next time we are home I will make it special so that we can enjoy it together :)

Do you have any siblings in your family? Where do you fall? Let me know below!

Blueberry Galette

Yields: 6 medium or 8 small slices

Ingredients:

Pie Crust:

• 3/4 cup all purpose flour - plus more for dusting
• 1/4 cup shortening
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1 beaten egg - divided
• 1/4 tsp. vinegar
• 1 tbls. plus 2 tsp. cold water

Blueberry Filling:

• 3 cups fresh blueberries
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tbls. sugar - divided
• 2 tbls. corn starch 
• 1/2 tbls. lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt

Directions:

Pie Crust:

1. In a food processor combine flour, shortening and salt. Pulse until pea sized pebbles form.
2. In a small bowl beat together 1 tbls. beaten egg (the rest is reserved for later) vinegar and water.
3. Pour liquid into food processor and pulse just until dough comes together.
4. Remove dough from food processor, knead a few times, and form into a disk.
5. Wrap disk in plastic wrap and refrigerate 15-30 minutes (or longer).

Blueberry Filling:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. While dough chills, mix together blueberries, 1/2 cup sugar, corn starch, lemon juice, cinnamon and salt.

Assembly:

1. Lightly dust a large surface with flour.
2. Roll out pie crust into a large, thin circle.
3. Transfer crust to a parchment lined baking sheet, preferably with an edge. (This prevents the blueberry juice from running over the edge of the pan.)
• If you do not have a pan with an edge, I would recommend putting a larger pan on the rack below your blueberry pan, to catch any potential juice run-off.
4. Pour blueberry filling into the center of the pie crust, leaving a 1 1/2-2 inch border.
5. Fold edge of crust over the filling.
6. Brush edge of the dough with remaining beaten egg, and sprinkle with 1 tbls. of sugar.
7. Place in oven for 60-70 minutes, or until dough is flakey and golden brown and the filling is bubbly.  If your crust gets too brown, simply cover with aluminum foil. I covered mine around 45 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and let stand at least 15 minutes to allow the corn starch to firm up the filling.
9. Enjoy!

Pie Crust from my mom

Blueberry filling adapted from Epicurious