Pies

Last summer a friend gave me a pie recipe that called for mixing the crust dough right in the pie plate. It could not be easier and is delicious.

Blueberry Pie (or Early Summer Pie):
crust:In a 9" pie plate combine and mix
1 1/2 c flour
2 T sugar
1 t salt

in a separate bowl mix
1/2 c canola oil
2 T milk

Pour liquid over flour mixture in pie plate
Mix with fork
Pat out and shape in pie pan
Prick with fork
Bake at 400 until lightly golden (10-12 min)

filling:2 c crushed strawberries
1 1/4 c sugar (can use less if berries are v. sweet)
3 T cornstarch
1/4 t salt

Mix all in a pot
Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes
cook until clear-ish
cool

Here comes the part you can adjust however you'd like:

*for early summer pie -
peel and cut apricots into hot strawberry mixture and let cool together
fill baked crust with a pint of fresh blueberries (tart ones work well) or blackberries
pour the cooked strawberry filling on top

*for a strawberry pie-
cut the tops off a pint of strawberries and arrange fresh berries at the bottom of pie shell, pour cooked filling over

Or for just blueberry pie,
I mixed
2 T cornstarch
1/4-1/2 c sugar (depending on sweetness of berries)
1/2 c water
1/4 t salt
1t lemon juice
2 c berries

Boiled 5 min, then folded in 2 more c raw berries
You get the idea -- you can use really any fruit -- peaches, other berries.
The idea is to mix the very sweet cooked filling with the fresh.
YUM

I read about a tomato galette not long ago and have been craving one ever since. For this pie, I also made a crust right in the plate (mixed the dough, let it sit for 10 minutes in a ball, then formed the crust) but used an olive-oil based, more savory dough. It was delish. I bet you could also chill and roll the dough out to make a rustic tart on a baking sheet, folding the edges of the dough up around the filling.
Tomato Galette adapted from Vegetarian TimesCrust (I halved this recipe for my 2 little tarts):
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup canola oil (I used olive oil instead, which was perfect with the tomatoes)
3 Tbs. cold water

Mix salt and flour in pie plate; make a well in center and pour in oil and water. Mix with fork -- mix as little as possible, just enough to bring dough together. Let dough rest 10 minutes. Press into pie plate.

Filling:
Seed and half tomatoes and fill crust, then add what sounds good.
For one tart I mixed the tomatoes with basil, Parmesan, and salt, and
for the other I diced rosemary and garlic and sprinkled it over the tomatoes.

Ricotta, feta, caramelized onions, olives -- would all be delicious, too.Bake at 400 for 30 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 and bake 15 more minutes.
(My cooking time was less because my tarts were the size of my hand -- adjust accordingly).
Cool 10 minutes and serve.