Didn’t pick enough wild Alaska blueberries for a pie? You can still make a big Pop-Tart

This time of year, I crave blueberry pie. I want to eat it in the yard on a stunning end-of-summer night, after a grilled silver salmon dinner, when the grass will never be greener and the fireweed is starting to let go of its seeds. I did make one last week. (Here’s the recipe!) But, before that, I kept going on hikes looking for blueberries and coming up short. I was getting 2- or 3-cup hauls. A pie needs 5 cups at least.

But, I did figure out how to hit all the necessary pie notes — the inky blue, sweet/tart filling, the flaky, salty crust — with a smaller-volume pastry. Sure, a normal person might make a little tart or galette, but, as a child of the ‘80s, naturally I got way into making oversized Pop-Tarts.

If we’re going to be technical, this recipe might be more accurately called a Pop-Tart-inspired slab pie, because the dough is too flaky and delicate for you to pick up the whole face-sized thing and shove it in your mouth (sorry). To serve it, I slice it into about six squares and serve them with vanilla ice cream. My secret to a flaky crust is to use vodka instead of water, but it makes the crust really delicate, so if you want a little more sturdiness, use water. I also use a food processor to make the crust. Crust made by hand can also be a little more resilient.

You don’t have to use all blueberries either. I have supplemented bluebs with store-bought blackberries and frozen black currants. You can also do a red-filling version with raspberries, pitted sour cherries, currants, thin-sliced rhubarb, or a combo of all those, just adjust the sugar accordingly. I used 1/4 cup of sugar with my wild blueberries because I like a pretty tart pie. Oh, and I didn’t use sprinkles, which is of course customary on Pop-Tarts, but that doesn’t mean you can’t.

[If you’re filling your berry bucket, now’s the time to try a new recipe from an Alaska cook]

Big wild blueberry Pop-Tart

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white flour

1 1/2 cups salted butter

1 tablespoon sugar

2-4 tablespoons ice-cold vodka or water

3 1/2 cups wild berries, drained of juices

1/4 to 1/2 cup white sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Juice of half an orange

One beaten egg

3/4 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons orange juice

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. In the bowl of a food processor, pulse flour, sugar and butter into a meal. With the processor running, drizzle in vodka or water until the ball coalesces. Dump the dough onto parchment and press it into a rectangle about the size of a greeting card. Wrap it in the paper and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes.

Carefully stir berries with sugar, cornstarch and juice of half an orange, until the berries are all covered. They should be relatively intact and on the dry side. Roll the dough out on a large sheet of parchment paper into a rectangle that’s about 11 by 15 inches. Once you’ve rolled it out, stick it in the freezer for 5 to 10 minutes to make it easier to handle.

Pull the dough sheet out of the freezer. With the long edge of the dough rectangle facing you, gently pull the left side of the dough off the parchment and fold the dough in half like a book. Use a knife to trim the rough top, bottom and side edges of both sheets to leave you with crisp edges and two matching rectangles. Spoon the berries, leaving any liquid in the bowl, onto what will be the bottom rectangle, leaving about a half inch of space around all the edges. Cover the berries with the top dough sheet. Gently roll the edges in, all the way around the rectangle, and then press them together with a fork. Poke holes with your fork to vent the top of the tart and brush with beaten egg. Bake for 28 minutes, until golden.

Whisk together powdered sugar and orange juice into a frosting. When the tart is cool, spread it on, avoiding the edges. Allow it to set up for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with ice cream.