Tuesday, July 8, 2008

It's a Love Hate Relationship

One of my favorite movies growing up was Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory (and not the Tim Burton film!!). Just the thought of getting to stay at such an elaborate candy factory all day and eating as much sweets as I wanted seemed so amazing! I remember watching that movie a hundred times and each time there was something new that I had missed the first 76 times I watched it. Of course the most distinguishing factor of that movie was the Golden Ticket.



Right after I saw Willy Wonka and The Chocolate Factory for the first time (not completely understanding that this was strictly a movie) I would get so excited to get a candy bar from the store. I'd immediately tear open the wrapper and be devastated that there was no Golden Ticket, I quickly learned what the difference between real life and make-believe in the movies meant. But it was incredible what a rush I would get from opening those candy bars. Not only was there the overwhelming joy of getting to eat a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup, but there was also the thrill of looking for that twinkly gold wrapper inside that would unlock my sweet tooth's fantasy world. And even though I never got a ticket, and finally figured out I never would I still had my candy bar to comfort me :)



I must admit thought, that while I loved the movie, I didn't really care for all of the characters. I especially disliked Violet Beauregarde. There was something about her that just didn't sit right with me. Maybe it was the fact that she was chewing the same ole crappy piece of gum for lord knows how long, or that she was so bossy, or that she wore that awful blue jumpsuit. I haven't yet, after about 20 years of watching that movie quite figured it out yet, but I know that i just didn't and don't like her. So, for some odd reason my Double Crusted Blueberry Pie for this weeks TWD reminded me of Violet.



The pie was amazing and had really great flavor, but the crust was not my friend. I actually had a really hard time making this silly crust, I think my problem was that I added too much water. (So after cursing the pie crust out for not coming out right I went to the store and bought a refrigerated, premade pie dough. I know, I know I shouldn't have done that, but I couldn't help it I was about ready to loose it with the dough!) Once I had that problem resolved everything came out amazing! I used frozen blueberries instead of fresh, and they actually held their texture and shape a lot better than the fresh would've. Each bit was a burst of blueberry goodness.



So maybe my connection to TWD and Violet was that there was a part of each of them that I didn't like, or that Violet blew up to be a gigantic blueberry, rolled away to be drained, just like I drained my giant blueberries in my mouth after each devilish bite! Thank you Amy (of South in Your Mouth) for stirring up some wonderful childhood memories (visit her website for the recipe).

14 comments:

Katie B. said...

Lovely pie!!

Don't feel bad - I never ever ever make a pie crust at home without having a trusty pre-made "just in case." Sometimes, those flaky doughs just won't cooperate.

Engineer Baker said...

I agree - the crust didn't cooperate with me either. It looks good though!

Pamela said...

The crust was a little tricky. Sorry you had some trouble with it. Those packaged doughs are definitely handy. It looks great, though!

Bumblebutton said...

Super pie, and funny associations! Don't feel bad about the crust. I almost threw mine out the window!

Rachel said...

I always love your take on the weekly assignments. Great job!

Summertime said...

Too funny about your Willy Wonka golden ticket candy bar memories. When I was a kid, I used to get Hershey bars, take off the paper, then tear the foil wrapper down the middle just like Charlie did. Fun memories! I can totally relate about the pie crust. I didn't have problems with this recipe, but it's the first time I haven't. EVER. :)

Mari said...

It's a bummer that your crust didn't come out, but your pie sure is pretty!

The Queen of Quite a Lot said...

I'm sorry you had crust problems. I had problems with it the first time I tried it a few weeks ago because my butter and shortening weren't frozen. When I tried it again with them being frozen it worked with no problems. So don't be afraid to try again and keep your ingredients colder!

PheMom said...

Yeah, I made this crust once before too and it basically melted on me. This time I made the dough discs a day ahead and let them chill at their leisure til I was good and ready the next day and had much, much better results. Your pie still looks wonderful!

Jenny said...

Thanks! Now I need to go dig up the movie and watch it again! =P
Your pie looks good and is much better to eat than a piece of gum

Christine said...

What a perfect pie. The crust is stellar!

Funny that they actually have 'Wonka Bars' now. For a while they were even having a golden ticket contest, which I didn't win.

Bungalow Barbara said...

Lovely pie! Glad you enjoyed the blueberries!

Too bad about the crust. I agree with the other comments -- the key to handling a crust with this much butter in it is to keep it cold, cold, cold!

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

Oh crap that looks SO good!

Unknown said...

We'd like to invite you to participate in our July berry recipe contest. All competitors will be placed on our blogroll, and the winner will receive a fun prize! Please email me, sophiekiblogger@gmail.com, if you're interested. Feel free to check out our blog for more details: http://blog.keyingredient.com/2008/06/06/key-ingredient-cooks-kitchen-recipe-contest/

Thanks :),
Sophie
KI Chief Blogger