Earlier this month I celebrated another birthday by spending the day with my best friend Kaylinn (read about some of our friendship here). We’ve gone on several trips together and spent many birthdays in each other’s company, but one of my favorite birthdays together may have been my 30th. I had wanted to visit the northeast for a while (little did I know I’d be moving there the following summer), so we flew to Boston for an extended weekend. There were cooler temperatures, ocean breezes, fresh seafood, and new sights and experiences. We spent the last day of our trip in Boston, but the first few days we ventured north into New Hampshire and Maine and explored smaller towns north of Boston.
A few things were on my “New England To Do” list. Our trip checked them all, just not all at once. After picking up our rental car and finding our Airbnb, we went out to dinner at Michael’s Harborside Restaurant in Newburyport, MA. It checked the box for seafood on a patio with a sunset - delicious and beautiful, in that order. I wanted to listen to live music outside, and we did that, but it wasn’t at the same restaurant. We ended our second full day in New Hampshire and heard a few bands playing at the Seashell Stage while we ate at The Purple Urchin.
Having never been there, the beachfront of arcades and touristy shops reminded me of the Jersey Shore. However, the evening on the restaurant balcony watching the ocean waves under a grey sky while listening to the bands play was how I imagined the New England seashore. I also wanted to see Boston and Fenway Park, which we did on our last day. We walked a bit through the city, but we also took a bus tour and harbor tour to cover more ground. Boston - check!
Something else I was glad to accomplish on this trip was checking a few items off Kaylinn’s list. She chose Hampton Beach, NH as our beach and dinner destination because it was the town where her mom worked as a camp counselor one summer. It was fun to walk the boardwalk and beach where her mom walked several years ago. Before ending the day in New Hampshire, we left our Massachusetts Airbnb and drove up to Portland, Maine (because, when in the northeast… you can). It was cooler and rainy, but we still made the best of it by finding a bakery, walking through quiet New England streets, and killing time in a nearby dive shop while we waited for a table at the popular Becky’s Diner.
I had my first lobster roll (the only other one was from my next trip to Maine two years later). Market price? Sure! Take my money; I’m in Maine! I wish I could replicate that buttery goodness now, but location is everything. Kaylinn finished her meal with a slice of necessitated blueberry pie. In this case, location was only part of the “need.” Maine may be known for blueberries, but the day in general called for blueberry pie. On my birthday in 2005, Kaylinn called to wish me a “Happy birthday.” What is significant about that is that it was the day after her sweet 10-year-old sister passed away from battling a long illness. That phone call, when texting and messaging on social media were not an option for us, made a big difference in our friendship. I knew that I would be with her through her life’s ups and downs, but she was letting me know, that even on her hardest day, she would be with me, too. Her sister’s favorite pie was “purple pie” or all-blueberry pie. So, while my friend spent my birthday weekend with me, I was happy she still remembered her sister and ordered a piece of purple pie in her honor.
Ken’s blueberry pie is named after his brother-in-law - Dean. It has a pre-cooked filling so the blueberries release some of their juices, and there is a brown sugar streusel topping. I’m also a fan of lattice crust, so I made both versions. Both purple pies are delicious, and I’ve included the original recipe below.
One unplanned excursion on my New England birthday trip ended up being the highlight. Kaylinn treated me to a whale-watching cruise off the coast of Gloucester. The boat captain drove us offshore for about an hour to a location where other charter boats were waiting as well. Our guide told us to “look for the blows,” and soon we saw water, fins, and tails shooting in the air! We saw about 25 Finback whales and Humpback whales.
We were told that was unusual, and it was way more than they usually see. Must have been a special birthday appearance! I won’t forget the pungent briny smell of their smooth, although sometimes barnacle-y, bodies as they emerged from the water right next to the boat. They were used to putting on a show and didn’t shy away. It was hard to tell if some of the water we felt was sprayed from the rocking of the boat or a blowhole! New England did not disappoint. My birthday this year was not celebrated with whales or lobster, but I did enjoy a piece of Kaylinn’s blueberry (purple) pie.
Dean’s Blueberry Crumb Pie
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup cranberry juice, grape juice, apple juice, or water
6 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Brown Sugar Streusel - use the recipe in the book if you have it, or try one of these two similar recipes on Ken’s website (Crumb Topping or Cornmeal Streusel - topping an apple pear pie)
Directions:
If you haven’t already, prepare the pie dough, and refrigerate it for at least 1½ to 2 hours before rolling.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the dough into a 13-inch circle. Invert the pastry over a 9- or 9½-inch deep-dish pie pan, center it, and peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan without stretching it. Sculpt the overhanging dough into an upstanding ridge; flute the edges, if desired. Prick the bottom of the pie shell six or seven times with a fork. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or place in the freezer for 30 minutes.
To make the filling, combine the sugar and cornstarch in a large pot. Whisk to combine, then whisk in the juice. Add the blueberries and begin to heat them slowly, so they start to juice. Gradually increase the heat and bring the fruit to a boil, stirring pretty much nonstop. After the fruit begins to boil, continue to cook gently, stirring, for about 1½ minutes, until thickish. Remove from the heat and transfer the fruit to a shallow baking dish so it can cool more quickly. Stir in the lemon juice and lemon zest. Cool.
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Turn the blueberry filling into the pie shell, spreading it evenly. Cover the fruit with a generous layer of the streusel; you probably won’t need quite all of it. Bake for 30 minutes, then reduce the heat to 350°F (180°C) and bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until the topping is golden brown and the filling bubbles up near the edge. Transfer the pie to a rack to cool. Serve the pie warm or at room temperature.
The Harvest Baker (c) by Ken Haedrich, recipe excerpted with permission from Storey Publishing.
Thanks, Allison Mayfield Photography, for more great shots of my blueberry pie!
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