Pie is a bit tricky to make, most especially if you’re going to make everything from scratch. You have to be most especially careful with the crust because it will be the base for your pie. I am not a professional baker, so I always ask my Mom or my other friends who have been making pies since. Because no matter how good the recipe is, if you don’t do it right, it won’t taste as good as you would have liked it to taste.
Our friend bellaboops over at Food Network has this to say about this amazing recipe:
“This is hands down the best pie I’ve ever made, and as a 50-something grandmother I’ve made a few pies in my time. I will admit to using a different pie crust recipe which is a favorite of mine, and I only had 4 cups of blueberries so I scaled back a bit on the sugar, butter and jam. I used Trader Joe’s Organic Reduced Sugar Blueberry Preserves, and the lemon which I used for juice and zest was small. I would suggest being careful in how much of these ingredients you use – and use a good quality jam as instructed – if you are concerned about it being runny. And if it’s still runny, just serve it in soup plates with big spoons! Frankly, mine was on the runny side, but it was fine served on a plate, and my family just raved about it. Guilty admission: later in the evening I spooned some of the excess liquid over vanilla ice cream. Yum!”
That’s a bit sneaky of you, bellaboops. But I can’t blame you. Why not make the most of one heavenly dish? Mine was a bit runny too, but I took the advice in one of the comments section and let it rest for 24 hours before serving and it worked!
Ingredients
Crust:
1 stick Land O Lakes unsalted butter, chilled and cubed, plus 1 tablespoon for pan
5 cups Gold Medal all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling dough
2 teaspoons Domino granulated sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 cup shortening, chilled and cubed
1/2 to 2/3 cup, plus 2 tablespoons ice water
Special equipment: 1 (9-inch) pie tin
Filling:
5 cups Driscoll’s blueberries, discard any small or overly soft berries
2 tablespoons Gold Medal all-purpose flour, sifted
1/2 stick Land O Lakes unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 cup Domino granulated sugar
1 pinch kosher salt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
12 to 14 ounces good quality Smuckers blueberry jam
Glaze:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1 orange, juiced
Your favorite brand of vanilla ice cream, for serving
Instructions
Crust:
Combine the flour, sugar and salt in a food processor and pulse to combine. Pulse in the shortening and 1 stick of the butter. Add some of the ice water and continue to mix until it looks like wet sand. Scrape down the sides of the bowl before adding more water and pulse again until it just comes together into a ball.
Put the dough on the floured surface and roll it into a ball. Cut in half. Reserve the second half. Using a rolling pin, roll out the first half, until its at least 4 to 5 inches wider than the 9-inch pie tin, about 1/4-inch thick. Gently roll the dough onto your floured rolling pin and lay the dough into the pie tin. Press it into the bottom and the sides of the tin. Cook’s Note: Don’t dock the crust because the filling is liquidy and will cause the crust to stick to the pie tin. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Roll the second half of the dough larger than the pie tin for the top of the pie. Gingerly lay it on a baking sheet and refrigerate it until filling is ready.
Filling:
In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, flour, butter, sugar, salt, lemon zest and juice. Mix to blend. Stir in the jam and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Remove the pie pan from the refrigerator and pour in the filling.
Remove the top crust from the refrigerator and fold it onto the rolling pin. Lay the dough over the top of the pie. Trim the overlapping edges to a 1 1/2-inch overhang. Tuck the edges of the top crust under the edges of the bottom crust, this eliminates the need for an egg wash. Pinch the top to make the edges fluted and sealed all around the pie. Use a pastry cutter or small knife to cut an opening in the center of the top crust.
Put the pie in the center of the oven and bake, undisturbed, for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 degrees F and bake for an additional 30 minutes.
While the pie is baking, combine the sugar, water and orange juice in a small saucepan over low heat. Simmer gently to reduce by about half and coats the back of a spoon.
Open the oven door and slide the rack out slightly. Pour the mixture over the pie and into the opening in the top of the crust. Lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees F and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool completely before slicing. Serve alongside a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
USE RED NEXT PAGE LINK BELOW.
Quick Tip: Allow the pie to rest for 24 hours before serving it so it will not be runny.
Thanks again to Food Network for this amazing recipe.
Instead of flour to thicken a blueberry pie, I’ve always used cornstarch. The reason some people come up with runny pies may be the effect the local weather has on flour. Some days it is more absorbent than others. That would explain the flour in the filling slowly absorbing the juices as the pie fully cools then sets up. This recipe sounds good, but more elaborate than any blueberry pie I ever made. I just use blueberries, cornstarch, a little sugar (or granulated sweetener because of diabetics in the household), and sometimes a little butter more for flavor than any other reason. I have to say the blueberry jam to enhance the flavor really sounds good. I hope I remember that the next time I make a blueberry pie.