Blueberry Pie Time!

Hubby and I sat around one Sunday afternoon and starting watching shows we had taped on our dvr.   During this time we uncovered a Barefoot Contessa episode where she was making pies with a friend of hers.  One of the pies was a Blueberry Pie made with a simple crust that glistened with sugar coating.   Hubby was intrigued. ...He had never made a pie crust from scratch and he was itching to find a new outlet for the fresh blueberries that are abundant now.

 

We'll two days later I came home to a fresh made Blueberry Pie for our evening dessert.  Now I have to admit that I have never made or had Blueberry Pie because I have been more of an apple pie fan when it comes to fruit pies. This was delicious and worth a try before berries run out. Recipe come from Ina Garten,  my personal favorite on the Food Network. 

Ingredients for Pie Crust

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) very cold unsalted butter

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/3 cup very cold vegetable shortening, such as Crisco

1/2 cup ice water

 

Cut the butter in 1/2-inch dice and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, sugar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening. Pulse 8 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump out onto a floured board and roll into a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece on a well-floured board into a circle at least 1 inch larger than the pie pan, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough so it doesn't stick to the board. (You should see bits of butter in the dough.) Fold the dough in half, ease it into the pie pan without stretching at all, and unfold to fit the pan. With a small sharp paring knife, cut the dough 1 inch larger around than the pan. Fold the edge under and crimp the edge with either your fingers or the tines of a fork.

Ingredients for filling



4 cups fresh blueberries, washed and dried
1/2 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon cassis liqueur
2 Perfect Pie Crusts (Below)
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon milk or cream, for egg wash
 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

 Mix the blueberries, the 1/2 cup of sugar, the flour, lemon zest, lemon juice, and cassis in a large bowl. Carefully ease one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, making sure not to stretch the dough at all, or it will shrink as the pie bakes. With a sharp knife, cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Spoon the blueberry mixture into the pie shell, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure you have all the juices.

 Brush the edge of the crust with the egg wash. Carefully lay the second crust on top, again easing -- not stretching -- it onto the pie. Cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Press the two edges together with a dinner fork. Brush the top crust with the eggs wash, cut three slits for steam to escape, and sprinkle with sugar.

 Place the pie on the prepared sheet pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is very bubbly and the crust is nicely browned. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.