Blueberry Pie

The ultimate in fruit pie....sweet, deep blueberry flavor in a tender, flaky crust. Even homemade pie novices have success with this recipe - the crust comes together in the food processor, and the filling is a snap. Give it a try, then let me know how much you love making it.

Filling:

4 cups fresh blueberries

3 tablespoons flour

3/4 cup sugar

dash salt

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 tablespoon butter

Pastry crust:

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

6 oz. (3/4 cup) vegetable shortening

approximately 6 tablespoons ice water

Wash and drain berries. Place in a large mixing bowl along with the flour, sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Carefully toss together with a wooden spoon until blueberries are uniformly coated. Prepare pastry:

Sift the flour into the bowl of your food processor with the metal blade attachment in place. Add salt and sugar. Pulse a few times until the dry ingredients are blended. Cut the shortening into bits (approx. teaspoonfuls) and drop onto the dry ingredients. Pulse 5 or 6 times, just a couple of seconds for each pulse, just until the pastry resembles coarse crumbs. Add the ice water through the tube, one spoonful at a time, while pulsing. As with the dry ingredients, only pulse 5 or 6 times, adding only enough water to just begin bringing the pastry dough together. Stop pulsing before it cleans the bowl and becomes a solid mass.

Turn the pastry dough out onto a board dusted with flour and bring together with your hands. Handle the dough just like a snowball....gently packing it together. Handle the dough as little as possible. Shape it into a disk about 8 inches or so in diameter. Wrap well in plastic wrap and let rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Remove the dough from the plastic wrap, cut in half, and put one half back in the fridge. Coat a rolling pin with flour, and roll out the pastry dough half into a circle, about 12 inches in diameter. Loosely roll the dough around the rolling pin and carefully place the dough circle on top of a 9 inch pie pan, unrolling and settling it down well. Trim the pastry even with the rim of the pie pan. Gently pour the blueberry filling into the pastry-lined pie pan. Roll out the other half of the dough and place on top of the filling. Trim the edge to 1/2 inch past the rim of the pie pan and seal, then crimp the edge decoratively. Cut vent holes in the top in a pretty pattern. Bake in the center of the oven for 15 minutes. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for another 35 - 40 minutes, or until the crust is nicely browned and the filling has bubbled up. Allow to cool at least 30 minutes. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Easier-Than-You-Think Blueberry Pie

Is there anything as pretty as fresh blueberries? I picked these myself at a local U-Pick farm. It was a blast, and much less expensive than buying them in the market. Plus, no one touched these but Mother Nature and me!

This is how I make my favorite crimped edge. One finger works to push out from the inside, and one finger plus my thumb work to push in from the outside. This is not hard to do! The purpose is (1) to seal the edge well and (2) it just looks pretty.

Cutting vents in the top allows steam to escape. Sometimes I add a glaze just before baking. Brush 1 tablespoon cream on the crust, then sprinkle with a little sugar. It sparkles!

*Notes:

When rolling the dough, start in the center and roll out toward the edges. Working this way keeps the dough in a circle, plus keeps it from stretching.
You may substitute frozen and thawed blueberries for the fresh ones.
Other berries work for this recipe: pitted sweet cherries, gooseberries, blackberries, raspberries, and even strawberries. What a way to add to your own repertroire of homemade goodness!
How not to "mess up" this recipe:
1. Handle the pastry dough as little as possible. Too much or too rough handling will result in a tough, chewy crust.
2. The 30 minutes of resting time is important, don't skip it. The flour has just undergone an attack in the food processor, its protein must relax before it will roll out well for you.