Mustikkapiirakka (Blueberry Pie)

Food is very important when concerning culture for countries and Finland is one of those countries that defienantly show their culture through their food.  There are a lot recipes that have to do with berry's, potatoes, and rye.  During the summer season there are tons of berries that become in season and berry picking is something that a lot of people do in Finland.  Potatoes shows Finlands humble culinary beginnings and dark flours are grown easily in Finland and so used in a lot of baking.

Mustikkapiirakka is often translated as Blueberry Pie, but I've also seen it translated as Blueberry Bars but more often its translated to pie.  I've made this two times with good results, and rave reviews.  The first time that I made it, I made just one pie and it was for dessert for my family.  Everyone in my five person family had more than one piece, and the pie was gone entirely in  fifteen minutes.  The second time I made two pies for my coworkers at work, and received great reviews, and ever since have had requests for me to bring it in again (especially for the upcoming Christmas party).

The pie is delicious, but is not really what we're used to when we think of a pie in America.  It's dough is more similar to a pound cake, and the filling is very gelatinous, but it's delicious none the less. I've baked it in both a pie pan as well as a tart pan and both have great results.  

Here is the website where I got the recipe for it, if you're feeling lazy and don't want to click here is the recipe, as well as the American measurements for it.  It says you need rice flour for it, but I've used all purpose and it was fine, as well as milk is fine instead of buttermilk.  Also because of the conversion you may need more or less than what I said.

150g soft butter (2/3 cup)

225g caster sugar (1 cup)

2 eggs

200g rice flour (1 & 1/3 cups)

1 tsp baking powder

400g blueberries (about 12 oz)

250ml sour cream (1 cup)

50ml buttermilk (1/4 cup)

vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and grease a 10-inch loose-bottomed tart tin with butter.

Cream together the butter and 150g (3/4 cups) of the sugar until pale and fluffy. Beat in one of the eggs and a generous splash of vanilla extract, before sifting over and folding in the flour and baking powder. You should be left with a fairly stiff batter. Spread the batter over the bottom and up the sides of the tin and scatter the blueberries over the top.

Whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, remaining sugar, egg and another generous splash of vanilla and pour the mixture over the blueberries. Bake for 30 minutes then turn the oven down to 160°C (315°F) and bake for a further 30 minutes. Turn off the oven and leave the pie inside the cooling oven for a further 10 minutes. Place the tin on a wire rack to cool completely before taking the pie out of its tin to serve.

If you're interested in trying a different version of this recipe, but not one that I've tried so far, there's this one as well.  It's from 'The Finnish Cookbook' by Beatrice A. Ojakangas (a book I'll do a review on when I get the chance to try out some recipes from there) 

Crust:
2 1/2 cups sifted white flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup soft butter

Filling:
2 cups blueberries 
4 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 tablespoon salt

To make the crust, sift the flour, sugar, and baking powder into a mixing bowl.  Using a fork, mix in the butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.  With your hands, press these together into a dough (the warmth of your hands will make the mixture soften and cling together).  Roll the dough out on a lightly floured board to fit a 12 by 16  inch jelly roll pan, reserving about 1/2 cup of the dough to use as a garnish.  (This kind of crumbly dough may tear when it is being lifted into the pan; it can be easily patched by pressing the torn pieces together).  With your fingers, form a ridge around the edge of the dough so the filling will not run over during the baking.  

To prepare the filling, pour the blueberries into a small mixing bowl.  Mash lightly to produce enough juice to moisten the blueberry mixture.  Stir in the sugar, lemon juice, lemon peel, cornstarch, and salt.  Spread the filling over the dough in the pan.

Roll out the reserved portion of dough on a floured board to 1/8 to 1/4 inch thickness.  Cut in strips and place in a loose lattice pattern on the filling.  Sprinkle the top with additional sugar, if desired.  Bake in a moderately hot oven (375°) for 25 to 30 minutes or until the crust is a light golden brown.  Cut into squares to serve.  Makes 12 dessert sized (4 inch square) servings, or 48 coffee table sized (2 inch square servings).

Here are a few out of focus photos from when I made it the first time :)