The line “I’m as normal
as blueberry pie” in the South Pacific song always struck me as odd because for
my first 18 years, I had never even seen blueberry pie let alone tasted
it. I figured since my encounters were
so limited, it couldn’t be that normal of a dessert. And since I don’t generally go out of my way
for just “normal” desserts anyway, I didn’t feel like I was missing anything.
In the past few months,
however, I have been developing a love for pie where once there was only
lukewarm appreciation. So at the height
of summer, when blueberries were beautifully abundant, I decided it was time to
try this apparent classic.
Now that I have cast off
my ignorance and tried the pie, I understand the line of that song completely
differently. It isn’t that blueberry pie
is boringly normal, but rather, it
should be a normal part of everyday
life because it’s too good not to eat regularly. I have vowed to make the necessary lifestyle
changes to make this possible.
I have made this pie with
both fresh and frozen blueberries. The
texture of fresh blueberries is a bit more tender and enjoyable, but the flavor
of both is phenomenal – sweet and intensely blueberry-ish either way. This pie has a small amount of cinnamon to
add some depth without overwhelming the blueberries, and I like to add a
tablespoon of lemon juice to make the flavor brighter. (It doesn’t make the pie taste like lemon at all, though, in case you’re worried
about offending lemon dessert-hating palates.)
The other nice thing
about this pie is that it will get eaten so fast that no one will have time to
judge your sloppy, asymmetrical lattice top crust….unless you take a picture of
it and post it on the internet….
Fun Fact: Blueberries get
their blue color from a class of pigments in their skin called anthocyanins.
Not only do anthocyanins make pretty colors, but they also have antioxidant
effects, meaning they destroy oxidizing agents in the body that can lead to
heart disease and cancer. Maybe this will help with all of the butter you’re
about to eat in the pie crust.
Blueberry
Pie
Crust adapted from smittenkitchen.com
2 sticks (8 oz.) butter,
frozen for 15-30 minutes
2½ cups flour, chilled
1 tablespoon sugar
¾ cup ice-cold water
Mix flour and sugar
together in mixing bowl. Using a coarse
grater, and working from square side of the stick of butter (you don’t want
really long curls), grate both the sticks of butter into the flour/sugar
mixture. Avoid getting large piles of
butter by occasionally moving the grater to different spots of the bowl and lightly
tossing the already grated butter with the flour from time to time. Make sure the butter is pretty evenly
distributed through the flour – you’re aiming for pieces of butter the size of
peas spread throughout. (You can always go with the pastry blender or food
processor method if you prefer.)
Pour ½ cup of the cold
water into the mixing bowl, and stir to combine. Add additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time,
until the dough is moist enough to clump together. Divide the dough into two balls, then flatten
lightly into discs, and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling. Makes enough for one double-crust pie.
Blueberry Filling adapted
from allrecipes.com
¾ cup granulated sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch*
¼ teaspoon salt
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
(the cinnamon is more pronounced with ¼ teaspoon, but neither amount is
overwhelming)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon
juice
4 cups blueberries, fresh
or frozen (frozen weight is about 20 oz.)
1 tablespoon butter,
diced
Preheat oven to 425
degrees Fahrenheit.
Mix sugar, cornstarch,
salt, and cinnamon together in a large mixing bowl. Toss in the blueberries and lemon juice, and
stir to combine. Roll out one of the pie
crusts until it is large enough to drape over the sides of a standard 9-inch
pie plate. Roll out the second pie
crust, and cut into strips for a lattice, fun shapes to dot the top of the pie,
or no shape if you want a standard double-crust pie (just be sure to cut steam
vents). Place the blueberry filling in
the first crust, then dot the top with the diced butter. Place the second crust, however it’s shaped,
over the top, and crimp the edges. Cut
away the excess crust – you can bake it separately with cinnamon sugar.
Line the edges of the pie
with foil, and bake for about 50 minutes**, until crust is golden brown. Let the pie cool thoroughly before cutting
into it or you’ll have a runny mess like I did.
I like this pie better the second day, after it has chilled in the
fridge, but I can never wait that long.
* I have used 4.5
tablespoons both times I made it, and it has been slightly too runny both
times. I like the juiciness of it,
though. I’d rather err on the side of juicy than gummy, but feel free to try 6
tablespoons.
** It may take a bit
longer with frozen blueberries.
