Blueberry Pastries

Yesterday was a rainy, rainy day, a bit dismal and dark.  Something nudged me to put on an apron and bake.  Comfort food?  These little mini-pies, of sorts, (haflings?) were quite simple to construct.

I had frozen blueberries on hand from a berry-picking foray in 2014.  I was in a large blueberry grove, for want of a better term, when mid-morning as the late July sun began to beat down, I watched a man leaving the picking area.  Perhaps he was staggering a bit as he carried out over-full containers of fruit.  He groaned right out loud, "OH! I can't eat anymore!"  I just had to laugh.  Good thing the proprietors don't weigh the customers before and then  after they spend a while picking berries!!!

The ingredients for this pastry included sugar, clear baking gel (similar to food starch), a little lemon juice and a pat of butter.  While cooking this combination down, I rolled out two pie shells and, pressed the rim of a smallish metal bowl into the dough to cut out circles.  After placing a dollop of berry filling near one edge of each dough circle, I folded half of the the circle over the top and crimped the semi-circle edges with a fork.  Right before baking them, I brushed the tops with egg white and sprinkled with sugar.   On a lightly greased pan, they baked in the oven at 375' for about 12 - 15 minutes.

Yes, they tasted as good as they look.  All that's missing is a cup of tea...  And a friend to help me eat them!