It's a somewhat different food environment here in NJ then when I lived in SF. Sweets, desserts and junk food were a rare find in my apartment out West. For the most part our shelves and refrigerator were full of veggies, fruit, lean proteins, vitamins and supplements, and coconut water (thanks to Joe). My parents house is a different story. M&Ms, tortilla chips, ice cream, cheese, wine & beer, bread, and pies/cakes are always on hand. Healthy items like yogurt, fruit and rice cakes can also be found, but the ratio of "junk" food to healthy food is basically 2:1. I don't mean to make my parents out to be unhealthy people. they are actually in great shape and eat quite well. Even though the "junk" food is always around they are proponents of eating it in moderation.
But this love of food, especially dessert, actually works in my favor. First of all, my mom is not a good baker. She tries, but normally her attempts are not successful. Store bought cakes tend to be her go to. However this past weekend, her dessert item of the week was a frozen Sara Lee blueberry pie. Please note, she didn't purchase the frozen pie. It was given to her (she may not have the skills, but my mom certainly understands the value of freshly baked goods). Well the pie comes out of the oven and this is the finished product:
Does this look appetizing to you? Cause let me tell you, it was not. I mean look at that photo. The synthetic blueberry filling is literally oozing out. Just looking at this pie sitting in our kitchen made me feel bad for my parents. How can I allow them to eat something like this???
So I gave myself a personal baking challenge; to make an amazing blueberry pie. Something that would blow this pie out of the water.
Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present my Blueberry Pear Pie with a Walnut Streusel Topping!
I have a few notes to add before I wrap this post up. Instead of cooking the pears in orange juice, I used some mango juice we had in the house. I also grated in a teaspoon or so of fresh nutmeg during this process. Lastly, when combining the pears, blueberries, sugar, etc I added in 2 teaspoons of grated orange zest.
I think it's safe to say, I got very close to reaching pie perfect. Dare I even say, even close than Sara Lee and her blueberry pie.
