Blueberry Crumble Pie with Honey Lavender Ice Cream

 There are so many reasons why I love what’s happening right here.

We might just start with it’s pie, and it’s ice cream… together.

No man, woman or child alive can question my unadulterated passion  for ice cream.

And one time, I wrote a really not good poem all about pie.

Adore them both. Adore them together. Pie and ice cream might just be my nomination for couple of the year.

 The ice cream part… that reminds me of my mom. My mom instilled in me a deep zeal for frozen dairy.  There are a few things you should know about my mom–

1. My mom is the bomb.
2. She is a most intensive ice cream enthusiast.
3. Today is her birthday.

Thanks for shleping me to a billion dress rehearsals and sitting through every single performance of my dance recitals, thanks for 9 years of school dance make-up, thanks for not attempting to style my hair after that one tearful incident, thanks for passing on your  ridiculous goofiness that keeps people questioning my sanity to this very day, thanks for keeping the freezer stocked with ice cream, thanks for forever telling me that I’m cooler than I really am, thanks for showing me that you can make the best of any situation as long as you maintain an aptitude for composing absurd little songs at random, thanks for continually making tactless jokes about my awkward phases in life… sometimes, they’re actually funny.

Thanks for being my mom.

Happy Birthday, Ma.

Then on the other hand, the pie part reminds me of my dad. My dad doesn’t much do cake; he’s more of a pie guy. In fact, his mom would have to bake him birthday pies rather than cakes during his youth. Just a few things you should know about my dad–

1. My dad is rad.
2. He’s an avid pie enthusiast.
3. The day after tomorrow, he turns 50. Woah.

Thanks for staying up all night to make sure I turned in A+ worthy school projects whenever I’d procrastinate (every time), thanks for acting like my cakes are the greatest thing you’ve ever consumed even though you’d rather be eating pie, thanks for encouraging me to be whatever I wanted to be, thanks for allowing me to make my own mistakes without rubbing my nose in the messes they caused, thanks for letting me grow up surrounded by constant live music, thanks for teaching me to consume critically, thanks for defending me against any and everyone, thanks for sitting out on all the scary rides at Universal Studios/Disney World/Six Flags with me, thanks for letting me have a cat when I turned 10… I know you despised her.

Thanks for being my daddy.

Happy [almost] Birthday, Pa.

So yeah, I reckon it’s a big week.  Happy b-days to the folks who have given me countless gifts unprecedented, the greatest parents alive.

And in the category of other reasons I love this combo of pie and ice cream…

Lavender and blueberries taste like summer. Summer tastes good.

The berries for this pie came from my best friend’s Grandma’s farm.  Best friends, grandmas, farms in Dixie, Georgia and field-fresh produce all rank among some of my favorite things.

Bringing together berry pie and ice cream allows me to force this ditty upon you without shame.  Proceed to enjoy thoroughly.

Blueberry Crumble Pie

 For the crust & crumble

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 2/3 cup vegetable shortening
• 4-6 Tbsp ice water
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp butter, melted
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender or two butter knifes pulling in opposite directions, until pie dough is the consistency of size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl.

Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable.  If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side. Prick bottom and sides of the pastry with a fork. Fold and flute overhanging edges to form a crust.

Crumble the other pastry round into a bowl and toss with brown sugar, melted butter and cinnamon. Set aside.

For the filling

• 6 cups fresh blueberries– washed,dried and picked over to remove any stems
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp butter

Toss the blueberries in a bowl with the sugar, lemon juice and cornstarch. Let stand for 15 minutes. Spoon the berries into the prepared pie crust and dot with the Tablespoon of butter. Spread the crumble crust evenly over top of the berries.

Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 35-45 minutes, until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Cool on cooling rack for 2-3 hours. Slice and serve with Honey Lavender Ice Cream.

Honey Lavender Ice Cream

Adapted from Martha Stewart

Yields about 1 quart

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup dried lavender
• 1/3 cup local honey
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy cream

In a medium saucepan, combine milk, lavender, and honey. Bring to a gentle boil, cover, and remove from heat. Let steep for 5 minutes. Strain mixture, reserving milk and discarding lavender.

Combine egg yolks and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium-high speed until very thick and pale yellow, 3 to 5 minutes. Meanwhile, return milk to a medium saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat.

Add half the milk to egg-yolk mixture, and whisk until blended. Stir mixture into remaining milk, and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon.

Remove from heat, and immediately stir in cream. Strain mixture into a medium mixing bowl set in an ice-water bath, and let stand until chilled, stirring from time to time. Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to manufacturer’s instructions. Store in an airtight plastic container up to 2 weeks.