Thursday, July 25, 2013

My take on a no-bake Blueberry Pie / deconstructed Blueberry Pie.


On a cool day this recipe is so easy and quick to make. Not to mention, heavenly. 

9 years ago I ate a blueberry pie that was so amazing I found myself repeatedly begging for the recipe until my friend shared it. I found myself craving it during the summer every time I saw blueberries. Baking, during the hot summer in every small kitchen I ever had was just an insane idea.

I thought to myself "Why bake a pie?" I have a bowl and the ingredients... What a brilliant idea!

I always make my blueberry filling early in the afternoon and place the filling the microwave, covered with tight fitting cling wrap and allow it to cool. I also make my whip cream and cream filling a head of time, cover and refrigerate until I am ready to assemble the dessert.

Grab a custard cup or a ramekin, cover the bottom with graham crackers, then a layer of blueberry filling, whip cream, cream filling, and repeat, starting with the graham crackers until the dish is full. Once full, top with a little whip cream and a sprinkle of graham crackers.

(In the old days I crushed graham crackers with a meat cleaver in a towel. Today, I use my food processor. Ah the convenience of modern technology!) To make the graham crackers taste like the baked pie crust, I use the stove but mostly I just use plain graham crackers because I love the flavor.

Heavenly!

no-bake Blueberry Pie/deconstructed Blueberry Pie Recipe:

For the whipped cream:
16 ounces of heavy cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract or one vanilla bean
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)

Procedure: Add the heavy cream, vanilla and powdered sugar into a large bowl, whip with a whisk or mix with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy. I like my whip cream to be stable so that it does not fall apart as easily. So, I whip my cream until it has stiff peaks and is firm. (Cover and refrigerate.)

For the cream filling:
8 ounces of cream cheese-soft
1 cup confectioners' sugar (powdered sugar)
1 cup whipped cream

Procedure: Place the cream cheese and powdered sugar in a large bowl and stir together until creamy and all the powdered sugar is mixed well with the cream cheese. Gently fold in your whipped cream. (Cover and refrigerate.)

For the blueberry filling: 
3 cups of blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup corn starch
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice

Procedure: In a pot, heat the sugar, cornstarch, water and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in the blueberries. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for about 2 minutes or until thick. Cool for 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl, cover until you are ready to assemble.

To assemble the no bake: Grab a custard cup or a ramekin, cover the bottom with ground graham crackers, then a layer of blueberry filling, whip cream, cream filling, and repeat, starting with the graham crackers until the dish is full. Once full, top with a little whip cream and a sprinkle of graham crackers.

To assemble the pie: Spread the cream filling over the bottom of the pie crust, then layer with the blueberry filling, top with whip cream, then sprinkle some ground graham over the whip cream.

For the graham cracker crust: Makes one pie crust (if you want to make a pie)
1-1/2 cups of finely ground graham cracker crumbs
1/3 cup of white sugar
6 tablespoons butter, melted

Procedure: Melt some butter. Add the sugar and the graham cracker into a food processor. Pulse until finely ground. Slowly drizzle the butter in while pulsing. Layer into a 8 or 9 inch pie pan, 375 degrees, 7 minutes. Cool

2 comments:

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    1. Thank you! The update with the added recipe will be added and uploaded shortly.

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