JBug's Kitchen Antics

Huckleberry Cream Cheese Pie

Pardon my ignorance but I didn't know a huckleberry from nothin' until we moved here. Where I grew up in Northern Ontario, wild blueberries are more common and grow on low bushes close to the ground. They're really tiny, packed with flavor and take real dedication and a lot of patience to pick enough for a pie.

Then while living in Western Canada I learned all about the larger more commercial high bush blueberry and about saskatoon berries too but here in Oregon, we're surrounded by wild huckleberries of the blue, black and red variety, along with copious amounts of blackberries too. It's been quite the learning experience.

Big Guy picked a quart in his hiking travels and I stuck them in the freezer to save for a special occasion. Friends visiting from New Mexico and a feed of Dungeness crab seemed like the perfect time to showcase a pie made from the tart, juicy little orbs of deliciousness.

A crisp and sugary shortbread crust (Pate Sucree) blind baked until golden then cooled and topped with a sweetened cream cheese and sour cream pastry cream and crowned in shiny huckleberries is what this stellar pie's all about. Further enhanced by a huckleberry glaze, the pie needs a good 3 hours in the refrigerator before serving to set up, which makes it a perfect dessert candidate when you're picking crab and drinking wine. 

Incidentally you can always substitute another berry like blueberries, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries if huckleberries aren't common in your neck of the woods. Of course you'll have to change the name of the pie, but you already knew that didn't ya.  

Huckleberry Cream Cheese Pie (adapted from Idaho a la Carte)

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup sour cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup sugar

3 cups huckleberries (divided)

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup water, divided

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 baked and cooled 9 or 10 inch crust (I used Pate Sucree)

 Using an electric mixer and a small bowl, whip together cream cheese, sour cream, vanilla and sugar until mixture is light and fluffy. Spread onto bottom of baked and cooled crust and refrigerate for 1 hour. In a small pot combine 1 cup huckleberries and water. Heat over medium heat until almost boiling. Strain and mash mixture through a sieve leaving seeds and pulp and return juice to the pot (should be 1 cup).  Mix together cornstarch and and sugar and add to juice in pot. Bring to a boil stirring constantly until mixture has thickened and juices are transparent. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature. Top cream cheese mixture in crust with 2 cups of berries. Spoon glaze mixture over berries return pie to refrigerator. Chill for 2 to 3 hours before cutting. Makes 6 servings. 

Black 'N Blue Peach Pie

We're having a very difficult time adjusting to living on the Oregon Coast. I mean what with moderate coastal temperatures, skin softening humidity that has made those well earned desert wrinkles disappear (well almost), sounds of ocean waves and green, green everywhere you can just imagine how uncomfortable we are. Now here I go telling you about the availability of incredible fresh locally grown fruit and berries ripe for the picking...heck you can see what an impossible situation we find ourselves in. 

Now that we have that out of the way, I have to confess I kinda' made this pie up to take care of 3 over-ripe peaches, a handful of blueberries left over from making muffins and blackberries that are oh so very plentiful on our property right now. Pie crust hiding in the freezer, a desire for crunch and imagination are all that were required before this beauty hit the oven to ruminate for an hour.

Believe me, we could hardly wait for it to cool enough to cut. It's a good thing there was a well abused pizza pan under the pie to catch the overflow or I would have had to clean the oven before I could make another one. Now what should the next combination be? Any ideas?

Black ‘N Blue Peach Pie (an original from JBug’s Kitchen Antics)

Pastry for a single crust pie

3 large peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced

2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

2/3 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons cornstarch

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400. Line deep dish pie pan with pastry and place into freezer for 10 minutes. Meanwhile in a large bowl combine sugar and cornstarch. Fold in peaches, blackberries, blueberries and vanilla and arrange over chilled pastry. Using a tablespoon, drop topping over fruit in pie pan, leaving some spaced between. Place pan on a sheet pan to catch any drips and bake in preheated oven for 55 to 65 minutes or until pie is brown on top and filling “burps”. Cool to room temperature before slicing.

Topping:

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Dash salt

1/4 cup cold butter

1 egg

Whisk sugars, flour, salt and cinnamon together. Using a pastry blender cut butter in until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Whisk egg with a fork and add to crumbs. Toss to combine. 

 

Blackberry Roly Poly Cobbler

Where I come from these are called Diddle Diddle Dumplings and were made famous by the Best of Bridge Ladies in Calgary, Canada who put out a bunch of fabulous cookbooks. You'll see Diddle Diddles on this site in several different versions including the original apple, peach, rhubarb and blueberry but this one is without question the new favorite in our house. Good thing too because we're living in blackberry heaven.

Not your average cobbler, it may take a little more effort but believe you me the extra time is well spent. The unadorned berries are rolled up into a buttery, flakey biscuit like crust, cut into one inch slices then placed cut side up into a baking dish. Smothered in a surgary, buttery vanilla flavored syrup, it all hits the oven and comes out looking like this. Betcha' I know what you're thinking!

Just so you know, we tend to like our desserts a little less sweet but these early blackberries are a trifle on the sour side so I put the full complement of sugar into the recipe, granulated rather than brown because I didn't want anything to mask that incredible berry flavor. To make life easier when you roll the innards into the pastry, I rolled the dough out onto a lightly floured silpat although parchment paper would work as well. I just never seem to have any around and the silpat's the absolute perfect size. Should you lose a few berries when you're transfering the slices into the pan, just tuck 'em in after they've hit the pan. Not a soul will know except for you. 

Enjoy! It's a keeper. Oh by the way, the ice cream is this one using sour cream and yogurt although I jazzed it with bourbon instead of spiced rum. 

Blackberry Roly Poly Cobbler

Sauce:

¼ cup butter

1-1/2 cups sugar

1-1/2 cups water

2 teaspoons vanilla

Preheat oven to 350. In a small pot, mix together sugar, water and butter and bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring until butter is melted and sugar is dissolved. Boil for 5 minutes. Cool briefly and add vanilla. Set aside.

Dough:

2 cups flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

¾ cup unsalted butter

2/3 cup milk (or buttermilk)

Combine flour, baking powder and salt in a large bowl. Using a pastry blender cut in butter until pieces are the size of peas. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add milk. With a fork, combine until just mixed. Move to a floured surface and knead gently for 5 or 6 strokes until dough holds together. Be gentle though! Roll dough into a 10 x 14” rectangle.

Filling:

4 to 5 cups fresh blackberries 

Spray a large 9 x 13” pan or casserole dish with cooking spray.Sprinkle dough evenly with berries leaving a 1 inch border on one long side. Roll the dough from the long side into as tight a roll as you can manage, pressing it together as you go. Seal well. Cut into 1” thick slices and arrange cut side down in prepared pan.

Pour sauce over the dumplings and bake for 50 to 60 minutes in a 350 oven. Serve warm or at room temperature with or without ice cream.