Peach Blueberry Pie (with Murbeteig crust)

Last weekend I made Ollalieberry pie and it was a big success. I followed the Hudson family recipe from the Coastways Ranch guide sheet for the filling (6 cups berries, sugar/honey, instant tapioca) and while the crust was a visual disaster that never really rolled out properly, it still tasted delicious.

This time I tried peaches and blueberries. I actually wanted to make just blueberry pie, but at $10/quart I couldn't afford it. So I checked my How to Cook Everything book which confirmed that peaches and blueberries actually do go together, and got some relatively fuzz free peaches from the farmers market. I also decided to try Omi's murbeteig recipe again since I didn't get to taste it last time (apple murbeteig that I brought to Twilight's BBQ and didn't get to taste since we had to leave before dessert).

The one problem is that we didn't have any white sugar. (I like to get the Trader Joe's natural sugar and we're not shopping again until we get back from Mexico.) So I figured it would be okay to use brown sugar instead.

I also decided to make a little extra murbeteig so I would have more for the topping. So I used 1.5 sticks of butter, 2 cups of flour (1 cup white/wheat, 1 cut white), 1 egg, and 1/2 cup brown sugar.

The consistency was pretty wet. That might be because of the brown sugar. I think maybe I should make sure I have white sugar next time. Also, I could use less sugar - especially with such a sweet filling. I think 1/4 cup would be plenty.

I think the mix of white and white/wheat flour was okay, but I should also probably try to follow the directions exactly at least once before I start messing with it.

I think increasing the amount of butter and flour was fine. I did have enough to coat the bottom/sides of the pie plate and make criss-cross rows of dough for the top - which was very pretty once I figured out the best way to make the rows. (With your fingers, roll a small handful of dough into a tube, then thin it out by slowly squeezing it with two fingers across the length of the pie. 5 rows across and down with a thin tube all the way around.)

The filling smelled really, really good, but when it was all done (about 45 minutes at 350), it was totally soupy - didn't hold it's pie shape at all. I had the same problem with the ollalieberries. I wonder if I need more tapioca, or if I'm using too much fruit, or if I'm just not letting it set for long enough before cutting it. The recipe also called for either almond extract or lemon zest as options. I didn't use either, and it might have helped give it a little more defined flavor. This one was mostly just super sweet. (The extra cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg I added didn't come through at all.)

Overall, it was an okay dessert, but definitely not my favorite.