blueberry apple pie & tomato soup- Nate Berkus Show with Sunny

Blueberry Apple Pie

Yield: 6-8 servings
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 35 minutes
Inactive time: 1 hour

Ingredients
Crust
1 1/4 cups flour, plus extra for dusting
Pinch of salt
1 stick butter, cut into small cubes and frozen
1/4 cup ice water

Filling
16 ounces fresh blueberries
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small cubes
1 egg
2 tablespoons turbinado sugar

Special equipment: food processor, 9-inch pie pan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

For the crust: In a food processor, add the flour and a nice pinch of salt. Pulse very lightly just to blend. Add the butter evenly around the flour and quickly pulse until the flour resembles small crumbles. Slowly pour the water through the spout until the dough begins to come together. Remove and quickly form into a disc. Tightly cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, for the filling: In a large bowl, add the blueberries, apples, sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Stir to combine and set aside.

Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured surface. Gently roll the disc into a circle big enough to fit into the pie pan and leave a 3-inch overhang. The dough should be about 1/8-inch thick. Using a pizza cutter, trim the edges of the dough. Place the dough into the pie pan and press gently against the bottom and sides to fit the dough into the pan. Pour in the fruit filling, and then scatter the butter evenly around the top of the pie. Fold the extra dough that's hanging off the edge over the top to create the top of the pie crust. Leave a hole in the center for ventilation.

Whisk the egg with 1 teaspoon water and brush the top with egg wash and then sprinkle with the sugar.

Place in the oven and bake until the crust is golden brown, about 35 minutes. Let the pie rest at least an hour before serving to let the filling set.

Chunky Tomato Cream Soup

Yield: 4-6 entree servings
Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Inactive time: 10 minutes

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup Vidalia or sweet onion, chopped
8-10 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1 serrano pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tablespoon, plus 1 teaspoon tomato paste (4 teaspoons)
8 Roma tomatoes, cut into big chunks
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream, at room temperature
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Special equipment: immersion blender (preferred) or blender*

Directions

In a stock pot on medium heat add olive oil, onions, thyme, paprika and serrano pepper. Season with a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until onions are tender and translucent, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste, stirring to coat everything in the pot. Cook while stirring on medium until paste appears a deep red color, about 5 more minutes. Add tomato chunks and raise the heat until they begin to bubble. Cook while stirring the tomatoes to insure a bit of moisture evaporates from them, but they don't burn. Cook this way until the tomatoes are tender and the skins are peeling off, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and raise to a boil then lower to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove pot from the heat and using an immersion blender, blitz soup in the pot leaving a few chunks of tomatoes for texture. Slowly stir in cream. Serve warm.

*If using a blender, remove a few chunks of tomato from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside. Blitz remaining soup in batches, only filling the blender 1/3 of the way with the hot soup. Any more than that and the blender could burst with pressure upon blending. Be safe! It's hot! Return blended soup and reserved tomato chunks back to the pot. Serve warm.