The East Coast is in for 3 days of 90+ degree weather which means I sure as heck won't be turning the oven on for a few days. I'm glad I baked this pie for the Pie Party yesterday, mostly because blueberry pie always tastes best when you eat it for breakfast the next day, don't you think? I'm also planning on lots green smoothies for breakfast and popsicles for lunch and dinner washed down cold brewed iced coffee to beat the heat. I probably should have filled up the ice trays last night, whoops.

This pie features my favorite all-butter pie crust, filled with a generously spiced pile of fresh Jersey blueberries and topped with a crispy, nutty crumble. Feel free to substitute your favorite crust if you have one you are attached to. I think having a favorite pie crust is a kitchen milestone to be celebrated, just like summertime and pies.

Blueberry Almond Crumb Pie

For the Crust

makes 2 crusts (you'll only need one crust to make the pie)

This crust comes to you from the talented Brandi Henderson of I made that! and The Pantry at Delancey where she teaches a class called "How to be a Pie Ninja" (among others) and she is not messing around, her recipes are killer. For her crust, Brandi uses a technique called fraissage which creates long sheets of buttery flakes throughout the dough instead of little pockets of butter. Delightful!

12 ounces pastry flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

8 ounces cold, unsalted butter

4-6 ounces ice water

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1. Mix the flour and salt together, then pour the whole lot on a large cutting board or countertop.

2. With a bench scraper, cut in half of the butter until it is the size of lima beans, then cut in the other half of the butter until it is the size of nickels. Mix the water and vinegar together.

3. Using your fingers, flick the water on to the butter flour mixture and gently fold it in with your bench scraper. You have added enough water when you can pick up a handful of the dough and squeeze it together without it falling apart.

4. Then, get this, you smear the butter into the dough. With the heel of your hand push a section of the dough down and away from you. Congratulations, you have just created a sheet of butter which is going to turn delicious flaky crust. Scrape the sheet off of the board and place it in a bowl to the side. Repeat until you have worked through all of the dough, pushing it down and away from you in sections. Once you've gone through all of the dough gently remove it from the bowl, press it together, then split it in half, and wrap each half in plastic wrap and form into a disk. Chill the dough for at least one hour before using. I have warm hands, so I always chill my dough overnight before I use it.

For the Filling

24 ounces blueberries

2-4 ounces sugar, depending on the sweetness of your berries

1 ounce cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

zest and juice from one small lemon

pinch salt

Pour all of the ingredients into a large bowl and stir gently to combine

For the Crumb

3 ounces all purpose flour

3 ounces brown sugar

4 ounces soft butter

pinch salt

2 ounces sliced almonds

Mix together the flour, sugar, butter and salt until it resembles large crumbs. Gently mix in the almonds being careful not to break them up.

To Assemble and Bake

Preheat oven to 375º and adjust a rack to the lower third of the oven.

1. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one piece of the dough into a 12'' circle about 1/8'' thick and place it into a 9'' pie pan and crimp the edges. Place in the fridge while you prepare the rest of the pie.

2. Pour the filling mixture into the prepared crust, then top with the prepared crumb topping.

3. Place the pie on a baking sheet and slide into the oven. Bake for 45-55 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown. Cool completely before serving.

Roasted Pineapple, Mascarpone, Black Pepper Ice Cream

I don't know about you, but when I think of combining of dairy and pineapple the "diet plate" at my local diner comes to mind. Well, if I am being completely honest, I think of the aforementioned diet plate in the 1980's. I like to imagine women dressed in spandex and legwarmers gathering after their morning jazzercise classes to share a low-cal meal comprised of a little cup of cottage cheese with canned pineapple on top, an egg white or two and a slice of tomato, maybe a slice of dry wheat toast if they're lucky, but I digress, I'm sure you didn't click on this post in hopes of reading about ladies in leotards. Let's talk about ice cream made from sweet caramelized pineapple and rich mascarpone cheese instead, sound good?

The base of this frozen treat is a cinch to put together, there is no cooking of custard, no waiting for it to chill before churning (no churning at all!), and when it comes time to add the black pepper you might be tempted to skip it but please give it a try. The small amount creates a gentle warmth which cuts through the richness of the caramelized pineapple and the ice cream base. If you want to torture your neighbors, leave your doors and windows open while you roast the pineapple because the scent is absolutely intoxicating.

Did I mention that you don't even need an ice cream machine to throw this together? The texture is unbelievably smooth and if your freezer is crappy like mine it will stay perfectly soft and scoopable even if it's been in there for a few days (good luck keeping it around that long). Maybe make it for your pops, I hear dads like bourbon.

Have a great weekend!

Roasted Pineapple Ice Cream with Mascarpone and Black Pepper

Roasted Pineapple Puree

adapted from The Last Course by Claudia Fleming

This pineapple tastes great on it's own or on top of store bought ice cream if you don't want to make your own.

1 cup sugar

1 medium pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into eight rings

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise, seeds scraped

pinch salt

1 tablespoon bourbon

1 ounce butter

Preheat oven to 375º

1. In a large skillet, combine the sugar and 1/4 cup water. Cook the sugar and water, swirling the pan occasionally until the mixture if a deep amber caramel 5-7 minutes.

2. Add the vanilla bean seeds and salt and stir gently to distribute them then add the pineapple slices and vanilla bean pod. Slide the pan into the oven and cook until the pineapple is tender and translucent, basting every 10 minutes.

3. When the pineapple is cooked, remove the slices from the liquid and set aside. Put the skillet full of juices over medium heat, add the bourbon and simmer gently until the mixture has reduced by half, then whisk in the butter off of the heat. Reserve the liquid for serving.

4. When the pineapple slices are cool enough to handle, take 5 of them and pulse in a blender or food processor until they are chopped into very small pieces, but not completely liquid. Cut the remaining 3 slices into chunks and reserve to serve with the finished ice cream.

Black Pepper Ice Cream Base (no churning required!)

adapted from Everyday Food

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

4 ounces mascarpone cheese

2 cups heavy cream

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, mascarpone, salt and pepper.

2. In a separate large bowl whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks. With a rubber spatula, gently fold the whipped cream into the condensed milk mixture.

To Assemble

You'll need a wide, shallow glass or metal pan, roughly 9x9 inches

Black Pepper Ice Cream Base

Roasted Pineapple Puree

freshly cracked black pepper

Pour 1/3 of the black pepper ice cream base into the baking dish and smooth to even it. Dollop heaping tablespoons of the roasted pineapple mixture on the surface, about 1'' apart. Top with 1/2 of the remaining ice cream base, dollop with roasted pineapple, then finally top with the remaining ice cream base. If you have a bit of extra pineapple puree, just eat it! It's delicious on it's own. Smooth the top to cover most of the pineapple, then using a knife or toothpick, gently swirl the pineapple and base together. Be careful not to mix too much, you just want to create pockets of pineapple in each scoop. Crack a bit of fresh black pepper over the surface and freeze at least 4 hours before serving. Serve with the reserved pineapple slices and gently warmed pineapple caramel.