Fruit pies are usually made in one of two different ways in Tyria. There's the quick method, which involves tossing the raw fruit into a pie shell with some sugar and butter. And the more involved two-step method where you make a cooked fruit filling first and then add that to your pie shell and bake it. The quick method has the virtue of being easy, but tends to produce very juicy fillings that don't hold together well. The second method takes a little longer but gives you a bit more control over the results. Cooked fillings normally have a bit of starch added to help them thicken up and hold together. It's also a bit easier to tell whether or not your casing is full enough with a cooked filling.

Both types of pies are fairly common in Tyria. Usually pies made by the quick method are called "tarts" to help disambiguate them from the more labour-intensive cooked-filling "pies". Both are usually made as single-crust affairs, the exception being the apple "pie" which normally does get a top crust. Sometimes a lattice top will be used, but it's just as likely to find your pie (or tart) served open face.

Slice of blueberry pie topped with mango-saffron ice cream

Blueberry Pie Filling

Ingredients

• 4 c. fresh or frozen blueberries, divided
• 3/4 c. sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 1 tsp. lemon zest
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter (optional)

Directions

1. Simmer 1 c. of the blueberries with the sugar until very soupy (~5 minutes).
2. Combine water and cornstarch to make a smooth slurry and stir this mixture into the simmering blueberries.
3. Cook over medium heat until thickened. (Mixture may still be fairly soupy, but should be somewhat thicker than before.)
4. Remove from heat and stir in lemon zest and butter.
5. Allow to cool before using.