This is the first summer ever where I have been able to say that we almost have more blueberries than I know what to do with. We’ve made salsas, salads, syrups, jam, clafoutis, and a couple of weird cocktails. I added several bags to the freezer and there are still a few cups left. You might wonder how we managed to acquire such a glut of blueberries? Well, fair question- the answer is, that this is what happens in a house when three people tend to grocery shop on a whim. All three of us managed to stop at different farmers' markets around town and came home with – you guessed it – blueberries. After all of our exotic recipes where tested, tasted and admired, we were determined to come up with just one more thing. So I made a pie. I thought, how boring – just a blueberry pie – anyone can do that. Or can they??
This pie started out like all pies should, with a homemade butter crust. I know that people are on the fence about making crusts in a food processor. My side of the fence says make it easy enough to do often, so all crust ingredients went in the food processor for a spin. I hate to get too cocky; but that crust was perfection, light and crisp - mysteriously lots of the outside edges disappeared before it was served. It was part of my plan to made a larger amount of crust than usual to have a bit to crumble on top, because that’s so much simpler than making a lattice top. Blueberries are great with little to no fussing, but I did fuss a very little and added nutmeg (a personal favorite in almost anything!) lemon juice, plus white and brown sugar for a slightly different taste. Butter and cornstarch rounded out the party. I can’t stress enough how marvelous this pie smelled when it was baking. My son’s friends were on the screened in porch and it brought them all inside. I made everyone wait until after dinner, because, according to the crowd, I was being mean and bossy – but it was worth the wait. We all took a bite and I’m not kidding – at almost the same time our eyes got big and we said, “It’s the best thing ever.” I’m sorry I couldn’t taste it again this morning to prove to myself that it was hands down the most delicious pie I have ever made, but I think we know how that story ends. I’ll be shopping for more blueberries this weekend. Oh, and by the way, anyone CAN make this pie!!
Ingredients
Crust
2 cups flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut in small pieces
¼ cup half & half or milk
Filling
4 cups fresh blueberries, well rinsed
1/3 cup white sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
Juice of one lemon
¼ tsp nutmeg
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp salt
½ stick (1/4 cup) butter, cut in small pieces
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Put dry ingredients in to a food processor and pulse to mix.
Add butter and pulse until barely combined and half & half or milk 2 Tbsp at a time.
Pulse to combine. Remove dough from processor and wrap in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate dough for at least 20 minutes.
Roll out pie crust dough to fit your pie pan on a floured surface, reserving about ½ cup to crumble on top.
In a large bowl, mix all ingredients for the filling.
Pour filling into crust and crumble reserved crust over the top.
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes until crust starts to lightly brown and filling is bubbly.
Cool before serving if you can.
