Update: A copy of Suck It, Wonder Woman is heading to the University of Miami. Congratulations, Simone! You won!
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It’s our party and we’ll…give away awesome presents if we want to? Yes. And we definitely want to.
Collegiate Cook is turning one year old this month, which is crazy to imagine considering it was all just an idea swirling around in my head up until July 2009. This quirky collection of recipes, born out of a random craving, a potluck, or an empty fridge and a grumbling stomach, follows my transition through my last year of college: From full-time student with a full-time job, to commuter student living at home, to broke intern bumping her elbows in a coffin-sized galley kitchen (Can I get a “hooray, NY real estate!”?).
Along with plenty of cooking and blogging, the year has brought a lot of uncertainty about my future. I love journalism, but my fickle sensibilities wouldn’t allow me to devote myself to one medium (Magazines! TV! Newspapers! The Interwebs!), let alone one beat (Food! Politics! Lifestyle! Human Interest!). To put this in fattie foodie terms, the world was my oyster, but I wanted the sampler platter.
I think that’s what drew me to Olivia Munn’s book, Suck It, Wonder Woman.
It was completely relatable in an unexpected way — I was just looking for a couple laughs (mission accomplished in the chapter on surviving the robot apocalypse — educational AND hysterical), but what resonated with me were the Attack of the Show host’s years of uncertainty when she first started out: wondering if she’d make it in Hollywood, worried whether she was making the right choices for her career. Essentially, just trying to figure out who she was going to be.
Yes, seriously, I got all this from a book called Suck It, Wonder Woman.
That’s why I want to give away the advance copy, so someone else can enjoy it too. To enter, just leave a comment with your favorite recipe — or one you’d like Collegiate Cook to come up with — on this entry. You have until July 27 (CC’s birthday) at noon to enter. Afterward, a winner will be chosen using Random.org.
(Fair warning though: This book isn’t for the PG crowd. It gets pretty raunchy in parts as Munn describes dealing with slimeball Hollywood execs.)
To complete this momentous occasion, I decided a special birthday treat was in order: Blueberry mini-pies. Yes, you heard me right: Little, palm-sized pies you can eat on the go.
Utensils required: Mixing bowl, spoon, marinade brush (or paper towel — more on that below), baking sheet, parchment paper (for the love of your baking sheet, use it!), oven, oven mitts, pocket pie mold (optional, though helpful — otherwise, a knife, fork and cup will do; see below)
Ingredients (makes 7 pies):
- Pre-made pie dough (either refrigerated or the dry version you mix with water)
- 2 1/2 cups blueberries
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 egg yolk
- 2 tablespoons water
Time commitment: 30 minutes to prepare, 15-20 to bake
Steps:
1. Lightly flour your cutting board/clean work surface so the dough doesn’t stick when you roll it out. Then, follow the package instructions for making the dough. Place it in the fridge to cool while you make the blueberry filling — this will make the dough less prone to sticking to, well, everything.
2. Combine cornstarch and sugar in a mixing bowl, stirring them thoroughly as you pour in the lemon juice. Once everything’s combined, stir in the blueberries.
NOTE: Some of the blueberries will break down as you stir, creating more of a sauce-like mixture. Don’t be alarmed if at first it seems like you’re just making sugary blueberries; it’ll turn out fine, I promise!
3. Next, preheat the oven to 400 degrees and pull out the dough. Using a rolling pin — or a clean Nalgene bottle, can of soda or other cylindrical object — smooth out the dough so it’s about as thick as a quarter, maybe a little thicker. (1/8- to 1/4-inch, but really, who’s whipping out the ruler?)
4. Now it’s time to separate the gadget junkies from the Do-It-Yourselfers:
Pocket Pie Mold Users: FLOUR BOTH SIDES OF THE MOLD. (Do it. Otherwise, you’ll spend the day fighting to keep the dough from sticking to it.) Follow the box’s instructions to make the pie crusts, but before you use the mold to seal the two sides of the pie together, wet your finger and gently run it along the perimeter of one pie circle. This will help seal it, saving you the frustration of a lovely pocket pie falling apart before you can pop it in the oven.
DIYers (AKA those armed with a knife, fork and cup): Place a wide-mouthed cup upside down on the rolled-out dough and, using a knife, trace around the cup. If you have a large cookie cutter, that’ll work too. Next, spoon a tablespoon or two of filling into the center of one of the circles. Wet one of your fingers and trace the edge of the filling-dotted circle, then take another dough circle and put it on top to help “glue” the crusts together.
Fold up the perimeter of the dough circles, then press down on the edges using a fork to seal the pie. This helps keep the blueberries from oozing out everywhere during baking. Make small cuts into the top of the pie, creating whatever design you like.
5. Once the pies have been assembled, place a piece of parchment paper over the baking sheet and set your pies on top. In a small bowl, stir together the egg yolk and water, creating a thin, yellow egg wash.
6. Take the marinade brush — or a folded paper towel — dip it in the egg wash, and gently brush the tops of the pies. This creates a nice, golden glaze when they come out of the oven. Sprinkle a little extra sugar on top, adding a crunch of sweetness.
7. Let the pies bake for about 15 minutes, or until they’re lightly golden on top. Cool them for about 15-20 minutes before digging in, just so you don’t get scalded by a bubbling geyser of blueberry deliciousness.