blueberry lemon pie
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This recipe comes from Erin McDowell’s new cookbook, The Book on Pie. It is the type of pie to bring a smile to anyone’s face and the perfect antidote to a dreary winter day. The first thing you taste when you bite into a slice is an explosion of blueberry, followed by a bright pop of lemon with subtle hints of vanilla and cinnamon. Replacing the top layer of crust with fresh blueberries and fresh lemon zest basically makes this a fruit salad right?
A few tips for success:
The hardest part of this is letting the blueberry cool long enough to hold its shape when you cut out a slice. Give it at least 2-3 hours to cool out of the oven. (I think I’ve failed at this endeavor every time)
Yep, you didn’t read it wrong - the entire half lemon is added to the filling, not just the juice
The pie crust and filling can be separately made ahead of time
You can use fresh or frozen blueberries for the filling, just let the frozen blueberries defrost in the fridge overnight (or quickly zapped in the microwave if you can’t plan ahead like me).
Blueberry Lemon Pie
makes one 8 inch pie
ingredients
pie crust
1 1/4 AP flour
pinch of salt
1 stick cold unsalted butter, cut into 1 in cubes
6 tablespoons ice water + sprinkle more if needed
blueberry filling
5 cups blueberries
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon vanilla paste
3/4 cup AP sugar
1/2 cup AP flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
to finish
1 cup blueberries
lemon zest
mascarpone whipped cream (optional)
steps
pie crust:
Mixing dry ingredients with butter: Combine the AP flour and salt. Toss in the butter cubes (make sure the butter is as cold as possible) until the individual cubes are covered in flour.
Flatten the butter: Working quickly (so the butter doesn’t warm up too much), start flattening the butter pieces between your fingers until they’re the size of the walnut halves.
Hydrate: Drizzle in the ice water, and toss with the flour/butter mixture (like you would toss a salad - do not knead). The optimal hydration for your dough is to have it hold together in a ball with no floury streaks. If your dough is still too crumbly, add water slowly as a little water can go a long way. Form dough into a disk, wrap tightly and rest in the fridge for at least 30-60 min.
Roll out the dough: On a well floured surface, roll out the dough until it is 1 inch larger than your pie pan. Transfer dough into the pan, trim the excess dough to leave a 1 inch overhang. Fold the edge of the dough under itself and press down until you have a smooth ridge. Crimp the edges using whatever style you prefer - I pinched the dough between my thumb and index finger on one hand, and my index finger on the other, forming a wavy edge. Dock the dough with a fork, and let the dough chill in the freezer for 30 min. At this point, preheat the oven to 425F.
Par bake: Line the pie with parchment/aluminum, and fill with weights (pie weights, beans, rice etc.). Bake for 15 minutes, before removing the weights and continuing to bake for another 5-10 minutes until edges are brown and the bottom is cooked through. Set aside to cool.
blueberry filling:
Prepare the lemon: Remove the seeds. Roughly chop the half of a lemon including the peel, saving any lemon juice that squeezes out.
Cook the filling: In a medium pot, add the lemon we just chopped, 2 cups of blueberries, vanilla paste, 1/2 cup sugar over medium heat until the blueberries break down (8 - 10 minutes). Blend the mixture together until smooth. I used an immersion blender right in the pot. Bring mixture back to a simmer, and whisk in remaining 1/4 cup sugar with flour, cinnamon, and salt. Cook while whisking constantly until mixture comes to a simmer again and begins to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries and butter. Let cool with plastic wrap directly on the surface.
Finishing the pie: Preheat oven to 425 F. Pour the blueberry filling into the par-baked crust and bake for 30 minutes. Once pie is cool to the touch, top with fresh blueberries, lemon zest, and some mascarpone whipped cream if desired. Let fully cool before serving.
Mascarpone whipped cream: Whisk a 50/50 mixture of mascarpone and heavy cream with honey to taste until soft peaks form.
