Blueberry Pie

Confession: my friend, Evan, and I binge our way through TV shows all the way to the end and then move on to the next.  It's not really the most productive habit I'll admit.  Since the heat wave we've gotten through the Walking Dead season one and two but unfortunately (or fortunately for you) there is not much food inspiration in that show.  That would be gross.  Luckily for you we've since moved on to Pushing Daisies, a wonderful  show that was tragically cancelled after two seasons.  Seriously, if you haven't watched it you need to.  WATCH IT.  Admittedly, you will be depressed when you reach the end and it is the END but on the upside there is pie; lots and lots of pie.

The show's main character, Ned, owns the Pie Hole and when he's not bringing the dead back to life he's baking pies  After a couple episodes I was going crazy for pie. I HAD to bake a pie.  It was a legitimate need.  Conveniently, we had a bunch of blueberries sitting around and I had my new cookbook with all of its tantalizing recipes.  Plus it's summer, what is summer without pie?  Disappointment is what it is and we can't have any of that.  So here we go, flaky crust, blueberry dreaming pie.  Wonderful, wonderful pie.

 

Pie Crust

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon salt

1 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into ¼ inch cubes

6 tablespoons of ice water

Blueberry Filling

4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, strained

¾ cup sugar

3 tablespoons cornstarch

½ finely grated lemon zest

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoons cinnamon

1 tablespoon cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

 Directions:

1. In a large bowl, shift together the flour, sugar and salt.  Using a pastry blender cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Add three tablespoons of  the ice water and mix with a fork until the dough pulls together.  If the dough is dry, mix in more water- one tablespoon at a time.

2. Split the dough into two equal parts.  Roll each out into 12-inch rounds.  Transfer one dough round to a 9-inch pie pan or tin.  Trim the edge, leaving ½ inches of overhang.  Transfer the other to plastic wrap and refrigerate or freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

3.  Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees and position the oven rack in the lower third of the oven.  Place the berries in a large bowl, sprinkle with the lemon juice, and toss to evenly coat.  In a smaller bowl stir together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon.  Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to distribute evenly.  Immediately transfer to the dough-lined pie pan and dot with the butter.

3. Position the second dough round over the filled pie and trim the edge to leave 1-inch of overhang.  Fold the edge of the top round under the edge of the bottom and crimp the edges to seal.  Using a small, sharp knife cut an asterisk 4 or 5 inches across in the center of the top to allow steam to escape during baking.  Refrigerate until dough is firm, about 20-30 minutes.  

4. Bake the pie until the crust is golden and the filling is bubbling, 50-60 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely to set.  

 Adapted from the William Sonoma Baking Book