Mustikkapiirakka

Finnish wild bilberry pie in a rye and butter pastry crust, the defining bake of the Finnish forest summer

Origin: Finnish Lakeland and Karelia, Finland

From the journey of Blueberry.

Mustikkapiirakka is, alongside korvapuusti (the cinnamon bun) and Karelian pasties, one of the three defining preparations of Finnish domestic baking. The word mustikka means bilberry in Finnish, derived from musta (black), referring not to blueberries as an imported cultivar but specifically to wild Vaccinium myrtillus: the small, dark, intensely pigmented bilberry that carpets the forest floor across Finland's vast boreal landscape from June through August. The Finnish relationship with mustikka is one of the most deeply embedded seasonal food traditions in Northern Europe. Every Finnish summer includes bilberry-picking (mustikanpoiminta): families venture into the birch and pine forests after rain, when the berries are at their most plump and abundant, with plastic containers and wire-tined berry rakes, and return with kilos of fruit that will become mustikkapiirakka. The pastry is a short, buttery crust often made partly or wholly with rye flour, giving it a slightly earthy character that complements the tartness of the bilberries. The filling is almost pure berry, minimally sweetened: Finnish tradition holds that the bilberry should speak for itself. The smetana or crème fraîche accompaniment is essential, the dairy's fat and acid providing the counterpoint to the berry's tartness that turns the pie from good to extraordinary.

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 150 g plain flour
  • 100 g dark rye flour
  • 125 g cold unsalted butter, cubed
  • 1 tsp caster sugar
  • 0.5 tsp sea salt
  • 3 tbsp ice-cold water, or as needed

Filling

  • 500 g wild bilberries (mustikka) or dark wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 60 g caster sugar
  • 2 tbsp potato flour or cornflour, to thicken the filling

To serve

  • 200 ml smetana, crème fraîche, or thick Greek yoghurt, to serve

Method

  1. Make the pastry: combine both flours, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the cold butter and rub in with your fingertips until the mixture resembles rough breadcrumbs. Add ice-cold water one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Do not overwork. Flatten into a disc, wrap, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
  2. Preheat the oven to 180°C (fan 160°C). Lightly butter a 24 cm fluted loose-bottomed tart tin.
  3. Roll the pastry between two sheets of baking paper to a rough circle about 30 cm in diameter. Lift into the tin, pressing gently into the sides. Trim the excess, leaving a slight overhang. Prick the base all over with a fork. Blind-bake with baking beans for 12 minutes, then remove the beans and bake for a further 5 minutes until the base is just dry.
  4. Toss the bilberries with the sugar and potato flour. Pour into the pre-baked pastry shell.
  5. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the filling is bubbling and the pastry edges are golden. Cool on a rack for at least 20 minutes before cutting: the filling sets as it cools.
  6. Serve in wedges with a generous spoonful of cold smetana or crème fraîche. The contrast of the warm tart pie shell, the jewelled berry filling, and the cold, slightly sour dairy is the defining experience of this dish.
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