Happy Independence Day!

This 4th of July, our tiny little post in the middle of nowhere in Germany had a pie baking contest.  Now I'll be the first to admit that I tend to take shortcuts when it comes to pie by buying a premade crust.  But I'm 30 and I do enjoy cooking and baking, so it's past time to learn how to bake a pie.  And what better way to test the waters than by entering into a pie contest?

I am not a genius in the kitchen, but I can follow a recipe and tweak it when needed.  I perused Pinterest (I actually think my search was "award winning pie recipes" and I came across this Apricot Blueberry Pie.  Sounded summery.  Now I needed a pie crust recipe that sounded unique, but still easy.  This one with vodka was chosen primarily because I've had the same bottle of Smirnoff for a number of years and haven't had the heart to toss.

I didn't deviate from the crust recipe, but I did make a few adjustments to the original Apricot Blueberry Pie.

These are the fruits I used: nectarines, apricots, Turkish apricots, and doughnut white fleshed peaches (blueberries are not pictured).  The above photo shows them sans skin, after I blanched them.  

I also separated the natural juice that seeped from the fruit.  I didn't want the pie to be soupy and I didn't want to try to compensate for this by adding additional flour as a thickening agent.  Once the juice was removed, I added a tablespoon of flour and then re-added the juice needed.  

The original recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of butter to be cut and added to the filling prior to placing the top crust on. I omitted this as well as cutting both the white and brown sugar in half.  I had to justify eating this pie to myself.  Plus the fruit was already very ripe.  I don't own a pie shield, so I placed tin foil around the outer edge to prevent early browning of the crust.  I removed it about halfway through cooking.

The final change I made was adding BOTH lemon and orange zest to the filling and crust.  I brushed egg yolk for a prettier and shinier crust and dusted with vanilla infused sugar.

See?  The filling was perfect.  Not runny or mushy.  The crust held up nicely too.  Not bad for being my second pie made from scratch (the first one being made the night before as a trial run).

So did I win?  Sadly no, but I do feel this pie is a winner and something I will probably make again in the future.

Despite the loss, today was fun.  We enjoyed time with our friends, German steak sandwiches, chocolate covered bananas, a warm (but not hot) day, free entertainment for the kids, and fireworks.  The only thing missing was our own Soldier.

Anberlin QOTD (well said a couple of days ago):

Anberlin:  Mommy, why have you been going to the gym a lot?

Me:  Because I'm trying to get back in shape.

Anberlin:  So you can get skinny again?

Me:  Um...sure?

Anberlin:  How come it's not working?

Me:  (-_-)

Side note, I'm doing a Weight Loss Challenge on our post.  I'm not in it to win it, but it cost me $5 and I get to meet with a personal trainer two times a week for 12 weeks.  I'm really enjoying the process.