Blueberry Pie

Blueberry Pie (newspaper)

For great berry pies, keep three key tips in mind: 1)chill the pie crust well before rolling it out; 2) use about 6 cups of berries to ¼ cup of cornstarch for the right thickness of juice in your filling; and 3) before filling, brush the pie crust with an edge white to keep it from becoming soggy.

Pie Crust:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/8 tsp salt

¾ cup plus 2 TB cold, unsalted butter, cut into bits

1 large egg

6 TB ice water

Filling:

6 cups fresh blueberries, lightly rinsed and dried

1 cup plus 1 TB sugar

¼ cup cornstarch

¼ tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 large egg white, lightly beaten with 1 TB water

1.     Prepare the pie crust: Combine the flour and salt in a large bowl.  Add the butter and mix together with your fingertips or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

2.     Mix the egg with the ice water in a small bowl.  Toss gently with the flour mixture until the dough just comes together; do not overwork it.  Divide the dough in half, form into 2 thick disks, and cover with plastic wrap.  Chill for a least 1 hour.

3.     Remove 1 disk of dough from the refrigerator.  Unwrap and roll it out 1/8-inch thick on a lightly floured surface to fit a 9-inch pie plate.  Press it into the bottom and sides of the pie plate; trim the dough, leaving a 1-inch overhang.  Chill the pie shell until ready to use.  Roll out the second disk of dough to make the top crust, then fold it into quarters and place on a plate; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to use.

4.     Preheat the oven to 400

5.     Toss the blueberries with 1 cup of sugar, the cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon zest, and vanilla.

6.     Remove the prepared pie shell from the refrigerator.  Brush the bottom and sides with the egg-white mixture to prevent sogginess.  Spoon the blueberry mixture into the pie shell.

7.     Remove the top crust from the refrigerator and unfold it over the filling.  Trim the overhang to 1 inch.  Moisten the edges where they meet, then press them together lightly and turn under.  Crimp the edge decoratively.  Cut several decorative slashes in the top crust (to allow steam to escape), then brush lightly all over with water; sprinkle with the remaining tablespoon of sugar.

8.     Bake the pie in lower third of the oven until the filling is bubbly and crust is golden brown, 1 hour to 1 ¼ hours.  Cool on a rack before serving warm or at room temperature

Serves 6 to 8, Per serving: 541 calories, 82 carbohydrates, 7 g protein, 22g fat, 81 mg cholesterol.