Machias blues: wild blueberry pie

The wild Maine blueberry is thickly sweet and juicy without being watery like cultivated blueberries. The flavor is incredibly concentrated. If you’ve ever tasted Stonewall Kitchen’s Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, then you know what I mean. In Maine, blueberry season lasts for about three weeks. Depending on which part of the state you're in, the season can begin as early as mid-July and extend into the last week of August. We just returned from a trip to Downeast Maine, where I was able to buy a quart of wild blueberries for $5 from a roadside vendor in Machias. At last, we would have enough blueberries for that elusive blueberry pie. My family was very happy. Here is the recipe for my simple blueberry pie in the Fanny Farmer tradition:

Blueberry pie

Crust:

1-1/2 cups flour

pinch salt

1 stick butter or ½ cup other shortening

½ cup ice water

Add salt to the flour. Cut butter (I use Kate’s from Maine) into cubes and work into flour until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add about ½ cup ice water, a little at a time until dough can be worked into a ball. Flatten the ball into a disk, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling:

2-1/2 to 3 cups blueberries (preferably wild)

½ cup sugar

½ teaspoon cinnamon

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

flour for dusting berries

cream or milk for brushing top crust

Dust blueberries with flour. Add sugar and spices.

Now, remove dough from refrigerator and divide. Roll out bottom crust and place in 7-inch pie pan. Add blueberry filling. Roll out top crust and blanket blueberries. Crimp edges of crust to seal in juices. Brush top crust lightly with cream. (If you want a shiny golden crust, brush it lightly with egg wash.) Sprinkle with sugar, if you like. Cut three vents in top crust to allow steam to escape.

Bake pie in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes; then, turn down the heat to 350 and continue to bake for another 35 to 40 minutes, or until pie is golden. Remove pie from oven and cool. Serve plain or with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Welcoming pineapple upside-down cake

By the mid-1600s, the pineapple, a native of South America, was being grown in hothouses in England and Holland, according to research done by Rosen College of Hospitality Management at the University of Central Florida. From there, the fruit spread to other parts of the world. American colonists began importing pineapples from the Caribbean in the 17^th century. The fruit soon became a symbol of hospitality; because of its exotic nature, pineapple was served to special guests. According to some accounts, New England sea captains would place a pineapple outside their homes as a symbol of safe return from sea voyages.

Because pineapples have been on sale at local supermarkets, I decided to try fresh pineapple in an upside-down cake. Combined with toasted coconut, the fresh pineapple makes the cake moist and delicious. Its flavor is reminiscent of English sticky toffee pudding. This cake falls into the category of what Fanny Farmer called “cottage pudding”: plain cake served warm with sauce.

Pineapple Upside Down Cake

6 tablespoons butter, softened

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon water

3 tablespoons toasted coconut

Three to four rings of pineapple

1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

2/3 cup milk

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

Melt two tablespoons of butter in a 9-inch round baking pan. Stir in brown sugar and water. Sprinkle in toasted coconut. Arrange pineapple on top of the coconut. Set pan aside.

In a mixing bowl or bowl of a standing mixer, stir together flour, granulated sugar and baking powder. Add milk, remaining butter, egg and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until combined; then beat on medium speed for one minute. Spoon batter over fruit.

Bake in a 350-degree oven for about 40 minutes or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for five minutes. Loosen sides and invert onto plate. Serve warm as is or with whipped cream, if desired. Serves 6 to 8.

Scalloped scallops

’tis the season for bay scallops. While they’re pricey this year at nearly $30 per pound, these sweet smaller cousins of the sea scallop are worth the splurge at least once. Yes, the price is enough to knock the wind out of a frugal Yankee, but as my husband points out, cooking these scallops at home remains less expensive than dining out at a restaurant.

Fanny Merritt Farmer's Boston Cooking School Cook Book contains a recipe for baked scallops with cracker crumbs and cream. It's called "Scalloped scallops." My recipe for baked scallops is similar, but it omits the cream:

Baked stuffed scallops

1 pound scallops

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed

6 tablespoons butter, melted

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. (It’s important that the oven be hot when you put seafood in to bake.) Reserve two tablespoons of the melted butter for drizzling later. Mix Ritz cracker crumbs with remaining four tablespoons butter. In a single baking dish or individual casserole dishes, place a scant layer of cracker crumbs. Arrange a single layer of scallops and top with cracker crumbs. If necessary, add another layer of scallops and top with cracker crumbs. Avoid layering scallops any more than two deep; they won’t cook properly. Drizzle with reserved melted butter. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. Crumbs should be lightly browned and the scallops opaque. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with a wedge of lemon. Serves three.