Midsummer Mustikkapiiras - or - Blueberry Yogurt Pie

When I returned to work after Molly was born, Malin, our first nanny, gave me the cookbook Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant as a Christmas gift. The recipes are inspired by cuisine from around the world and Mustikkapiiras is Finnish. Besides loving the look of Finnish words (they are so beautifully balanced with all the double vowels and consonants), I loved this recipe. Especially since baby Molly, who was a bit of a picky eater, was thrilled to eat the blueberries and lemony yogurt filling. I was happy she was eating anything, but this seemed very healthy considering the huge number of items she firmly vetoed. We all still love this dessert and on a warm summer evening, it can't be beat

Note: Fresh blueberries are essential here. We've tried frozen, but they just don't do this recipe justice.

Crust

1/3 cup butter

1/4 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Filling
3 tablespoons sugar
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 eggs
1 cup plain yogurt - we love Chobani Greek Yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch salt
2 cups fresh blueberries

PAM a 9- or 10- inch pie pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Using an electric mixer, or a good deal of muscle, cream the butter and sugar. Add the egg and blend well. Combine the flour and baking powder in a small mixing bowl and then pour dry ingredients into the butter mixture and mix well until dough starts to collect together as a ball. With a spatula, scrap the side and collect the dough as a single, sticky ball. With flour-dusted fingers, pat the sticky dough into the bottom of the pan and up the sides. This is less exacting than rolling out pie dough, so you patch up spots where things look a bit too thin. You will probably need to repeat the flour-dusting as you work with the dough. Refrigerate the pie crust while you are making the filling.

Mix all filling ingredients, except the blueberries, in a clean bowl, until smooth. You can just use a whisk, but be sure to blend all the tiny yogurt lumps. Remove the pie pan from the fridge and place the blueberries as evenly as possible in the pie shell. Slowly pour the filling over the blueberries, turning pie plate to be sure the custard covers evenly.

Bake for 50 - 60 minutes, until the crust is browned and the custard has set. There may be a few cracks in the surface which just adds to its charm. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about an hour than place in refrigerator with a very loose draping of wax paper or clean towel. Allow to chill completely.

Avocado: Sandwich Star

Growing up in 1970's Michigan, I didn't have too much contact with avocados. Maybe the color, but not the fruit. However, in September of 2000 we traveled to Santa Barbara, California for my brother Joe's wedding to the wonderful Rebecca. The celebration was glorious and it was there that I fell for avocados, devouring some form with gusto at breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Now the avocado plays a starring role in a great sandwich inspired, yet again, by Mary McCartney's interview in FT Weekend. This is the perfect sandwich when you want bright, sunny flavors.  Also a great meal when it's just too hot to cook. Feel free to add other veggies. Thinly sliced red bell pepper, for example, would be a nice, crunchy addition. However, one thing shouldn't change: experience has proven that lemon juice on the avocado is a must. It makes a world of difference. Trust me.

What's needed:
Bread - a sliced, chewy bread that toasts well. Tuscan pane or panini loaves are now sold at most stores. You can use regular sandwich bread in a pinch, but a better bread is best here.
Ripe avocado
Hummus - Molly has made us fantatics about Sabra Classic Hummus
Red chili pepper jelly - find in Asian cooking aisle "Taste of Thai" or Stonewall Kitchen makes a version
Lemon
Lettuce

Assembly:
Toast bread and spread with hummus & red pepper jelly. Cut half of avocado into sections. Spread sections on cutting board and squeeze lemon juice over the slices. Wait a minute and then layer lemony avocado slices over the hummus & pepper jelly. Give a nice grinding of ground pepper to avocados, crown with lettuce, and then close sandwich with remaining slice of toasted bread. Warning: eat with napkin close at hand as things can get messy, but this worth it.