Blueberry Pie Sunday

Blueberry Pie

When blueberries are in season, what better to do with them (other than eating them straight from the basket) than make blueberry pie? Blueberries have been found to be a “superfood”, so good for you that you should go out of your way to eat them. They neutralize free radicals, protect your heart, improve your vision, and protect against degenerative brain diseases. (See the whole story at The World’s Healthiest Foods website.) Yet another good reason to make and eat blueberry pie.

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• Prep time: 1 hour
• Cook time: 1 hour

INGREDIENTS

Crust:

• One box: 2 ready-made crusts that unroll!

Filling ingredients:

• 6 cups (about 2 1/4 pounds or 1 kilo) of fresh (or frozen) blueberries, rinsed and stems removed (if using frozen, defrost and drain first)1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup of blueberry jam for thickening
• 1/2 cup brown granulated sugar (100g)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp butter (unsalted), cut into small pieces

Egg wash ingredients:

• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon milk

METHOD

1 Roll out 1 of the dough pieces to fit over a 9-inch pie pan, and trim the edges to a 1/2 inch over the edge all around the pan. Put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes.

2 Gently mix the blueberries, sugar, vanilla extract, jam, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Transfer them to the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. 

Dot with butter pieces. Roll out remaining dough to the same size and thickness as the first (you can cut the crust into 1/2 inch thin strips and cross them over the top). 

Place on top of the berry filling. Tuck the top dough over and under the edge of the bottom dough, and crimp the edges with your fingers. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until the dough is firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.

3 Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash.

4 Remove the unbaked pie from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with 4 cuts if placing the whole doe piece on the pie top (so steam can escape while cooking). Place the pie on the middle rack of the oven with a parchment paper or Silpat lined baking pan positioned on the lower rack to catch any filling that may bubble over. Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling and have thickened. Transfer to a wire rack to cool. Let cool completely before serving.

Yield: Makes one pie with 8 servings.