Brendan and I spent one of the most fun/delicious Saturdays I’ve ever had in NEPA at Paupack Blueberry Farm this past weekend. These blueberries were amazing – as big as my thumb, perfectly sweet, growing rampant in the middle of these gorgeous blueberry fields. I felt like I was in a dream. A dream, of course, in which I turned into Violet Beauregard from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, because we picked about 5 lbs. of blueberries, couldn’t stop eating them, and then I came home and made a blueberry pie, blueberry pancakes and blueberry frozen yogurt. But listen – blueberries are full of antioxidants, right? So really we were just eating healthily. Summer’s winding down – get some in-season berries and throw together this fantastic blueberry pie.
BLUEBERRY PIE
Crust (makes 2 – 1 for the bottom and 1 for the top of the pie):
– 2 cups all-purpose flour
– 2 tsp. salt
– 1/2 tsp. baking powder
– 1/3 C. super cold butter (I throw this in the freezer for about 10 mins)
– 1/3 C. shortening
– 1/3 C. super cold water
Filling:
– 4 tbsp. cornstarch
– 1/2 C. sugar
– 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
– 1/3 C. cold water
– 5 C fresh blueberries
– 1/2 lemon, juiced
– 1 tbsp. butter
– evaporated milk (for crust)
1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. In a bowl, combine the flour, salt & baking powder.
3. Add to a mixing bowl of a Cuisinart Food Processor. Cut up the super cold butter into little chunks, add the shortening, and pulse the mixture until it starts to come together and form little pellets of dough.
4. Add the cold water a little at a time until the dough comes together. Remove from the mixing bowl and form into a ball of dough. Wrap in Saran Wrap and put in the freezer while you get the filling ready.
5. Combine the cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon. Add to a sauce pan, turn heat up to medium-low, then add the water. Stir this mixture constantly until it starts to thicken. Remove from heat and set aside.
6. Fold this mixture into the (washed, obvs) blueberries, gently stirring to coat.
7. Cut dough into half, then, on a floured wax paper or aluminum foil surface and with a floured rolling pin, roll this out into the bottom crust.
8. Gently flip the crust over into the bottom of an ungreased pie pan.
9. Add the blueberries and cornstarch/cinnamon/sugar mixtures into the pie pan.
10. Shave a couple little curls of butter on top of the blueberries, then squeeze half a lemon over them.
11. Roll out the top crust, then flip that over the blueberries to form the top crust.
12. Crimp edges, then cut little “breathing” slits into the crust, in whatever pattern you like (be creative!).
13. Brush evaporated milk over the top of the crust, then bake at 400 on the second to lowest rack for 45 minutes.
14. Now, the most difficult part. This has to sit for at least 5 hours to gel together, otherwise you’ll have a watery, runny blueberry pie. It’s torture, I know. Just keep your eye on the prize and think about how awesome blueberry pie for breakfast will be!
15. After 5 hours (you can put it in the fridge to speed things up), cut yourself a slice and enjoy. Summer!!!
