Mini Saskatoon Berry Pies and No Churn Saskatoon Berry Swirl Ice Cream

Well the summer is half way over! Here in Canada we have another month before the kids go back to school, we always go back after the September long weekend which we call Labour Day. Our summer had been packed full of fun little trips and we have been keeping busy. 

In between all the little trips, right before the summer started, I actually decided to open up an online shop for local residents to order baking from me. I had so many people over the last year ask me to make somethings for them, so I decided to make it a bit easier when they order. Last week I had an order for my Saskatoon Berry Hand Pies. After the delivery I realized I had a little bit of dough and filling left, so I decided to make some good use out of it. 

These little pies are the perfect portion control and small sweet treat that will satisfy that inner craving. What better way to eat pie then to have is a la mode! After discovering how easy it was to make the no churn ice cream, I have been playing around with mix ins and flavours. I thought the perfect flavour to accompany the little pies was a Saskatoon flavour, and I was totally right!

So here you go, two recipes in one post again!

No Churn Saskatoon Berry Swirl Ice Cream

Ingredients:

1 liter of heavy whipping cream
2 - 300 ml cans of sweetened condensed milk
2 tablespoons of vanilla
4 cups of Saskatoon Berries
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of water

Directions:

In a saucepan, add the Saskatoon berries, sugar and water. Stir all together and cook on a medium-low heat for one hour or until the berries have become soft and the water has thickened up to a syrup. Stir frequently while cooking. 

Remove the pan from the heat and using a handheld blender, quickly pulse the berries to break them down and become a thick sauce. Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the sauce into a bowl. Try to scrape and squeeze as much of the sauce and pulp through as possible. Basically you just want to leave the seeds behind and make the sauce smoother. Place the sauce in the fridge until cooled completely.

In a large bowl whip the whipping cream and vanilla together until stiff peaks form. Pour the cans of sweetened condensed milk into the whipping cream and gently fold all the sweetened condensed milk into it. Set aside.

In a large bowl, or a 9 by 13 inch pan (lined with plastic wrap), add half of the ice cream base. Drizzle the Saskatoon berry sauce on top and using a knife swirl it all over the ice cream. Add the second half of the ice cream on top, then add the rest of the berry sauce, and swirl again. 

Cover and freeze for at least 3 hours before using.
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Mini Saskatoon Berry Pies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup of cold butter, cut into cubes
1/4 cup of cold vegetable shortening
1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour
1/2 a tablespoon of sugar
3 tablespoons of cold water
2 cups of Saskatoon berries
1/4 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of cornstarch
2 tablespoons of flour
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

Directions:

In a bowl add the first amount of flour, sugar and salt. Using a pastry blender or a fork, cut in the shortening and butter. Once it has formed pea sized pieces it is ready to add the water. Add the 3 tablespoons of water and using the fork gently mix together. Once the dough comes together easily and no longer is dry, you might have to add another tablespoon of water. You don't want it wet, you just want it to press together easily without crumbling. Form a ball and then wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2 hours.

In a bowl add the Saskatoon berries and pour the lemon juice over them, toss to coat them with the juice. Add the rest of the ingredients, using a spoon mix it all together and coat the berries with it.

Preheat oven to 350F. Using 4 small tart pans, roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface until 1/4 inch thick. Cut out 4 circles the size of the tart pans and place into the tart pans. Use left over dough to make a butterfly using a cookie cutter, or another shape that you choose. Fill the tart pans with equal amounts of the filling. Place the butterfly cutout (or cutout of choice) on top. Brush with a egg wash (1 egg yolk whisked up), and sprinkle a bit of sugar on top.

Place the tart pans on a baking sheet and bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until the tarts are a golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10 minutes before gently removing from the tart pans. Serve warm with a side of the Saskatoon berry swirl no churn ice cream.

Mini Saskatoon Berry Pies and No Churn Saskatoon Berry Swirl Ice Cream

With a whole month of summer vacation ahead, we have some more fun adventures planned. I am looking forward to sharing some of the adventures with you. If you have followed along with me on this blog you know we love road trips, and love seeing things through driving. There is so much to see and do in this beautiful country and province!! So stay tuned to what is ahead.

Happy eating!
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