Blueberry Pie

Now that is a Pie!



As I mentioned in an earlier post, Zack turned 30 last weekend and he is not a cake person. Easy enough for me, I made pie. Believe it or not I have not made too many pies in my life. Prior to the three I made for Zack's birthday I had only made three, Frozen Lemonade Pie, Frozen Coconut Pie, and a Pecan Pie. Based on my limited experience with pie, I think they are quite a bit easier than cakes. This was my first pie with a double crust; I thought it would be pretty to make the lattice on top and it was surprisingly easy. I am not very skilled at making pretty edges, so I used some of the extra dough and a small cookie cutter to cut out shapes for the edges. I was really pleased with the taste and the look of this pie. Just add a scoop of vanilla ice cream and you are set!

Blueberry Pie
recipe from Allrecipes.com

3/4 cup white sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch double crust pie (see the recipe I used below)
1 tablespoon butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).

Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over blueberries. Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust, and dot with butter. Cut remaining pastry into 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide strips, and make lattice top. Crimp and flute edges. Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.

Bakers note: I covered the edges of the pie for the first forty minutes w/ foil so it would not get too dark and removed it for the last 10 minutes.

Vodka Pie Crust
recipe from Cook's Illustrated

2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (12 1/2 ounces)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons sugar
12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening , cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup vodka , cold
1/4 cup cold water

Process 1 1/2 cups flour, salt, and sugar in food processor until combined, about 2 one-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour). Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade. Add remaining cup flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around bowl and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty mixture into medium bowl.

Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix, pressing down on dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide dough into two even balls and flatten each into 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to 2 days.

Bakers Note: I have prepared this recipe in the food processor and by hand using a pastry cutter. It is definitely easier with the food processor, but tastes just as great doing it by hand. This is by far the best pie crust I have ever tasted!