Blueberry Pie
Ingredients:
For crust
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 stick chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
For filling
- 1 tablespoon egg white, lightly beaten
- 4 cups blueberries, rinsed and dried
- 1/2 cup of water and seperatly two tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- Pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 cups whipped cream (optional)
Directions:
Make crust:
To make the dough for the pie crust, mix dry ingredients in a medium-size bowl. Cut the stick of chilled unsalted butter into pieces. With a pastry blender, cut in butter, working until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Add 2 tablespoons ice water; work with hands until dough comes together. If dough is still crumbly, add more ice water a tablespoon at a time (up to 2 more tablespoons). Do not overwork.
Divide dough in half, and flatten halves into disks. Wrap disks separately in plastic; refrigerate at least 1 hour.
To form the pie shell, roll the dough on a floured surface into a 14-inch round. Wrap around rolling pin and carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate.
Fit gently into bottom and side of plate. Use kitchen shears to trim dough to a 1-inch overhang; fold under, and seal to form a rim. Crimp rim with fingertips and knuckle.
Make filling:
Measure out 1 cup of the blueberries, choosing he softest ones. Place them in a medium saucepan together with the 1/2 cup water. Cover and bring them to a boil.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Set it aside.
When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 3 to 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly, add the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries.
Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust.
Makes 10-12 servings
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