Light and Flaky Blueberry Pie

I am reminded that it’s finally winter here in New York City when I walk outside with wet hair and feel strands freezing immediately. (I really recommend investing in a blowdryer). The cold weather makes me crave comfort food, above all dessert. I confess, I am a chocoholic, but for some reason, I also really love fruit pies. With a limited time at home, I decided to make my favorite: blueberry pie. I have been making this pie for at least 5 years on Thanksgiving, and it is always a hit. But who says it has to be Thanksgiving to eat pie?

Ingredients

Pie Crust 

• 1 and 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (and a little extra for rolling)
• 8 tbsp (1 stick) very cold unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3 to 5 tbsp ice-cold water

(If you want  to make a lattice, double this recipe. You will have some extra pie dough left over, which you can just bake off in the oven. I usually make really simple jam filled cookies shown in the picture below. I just add some more sugar to the leftover pie dough and form bite-sized cookies. I make a well with my finger and put some raspberry preserves in it. I bake the cookies for roughy 10 minutes in the oven heated to 350 degrees).

 

Filling

• 4 cups fresh blueberries
• the juice from one lemon
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup sugar (you can also use 3/4 cup if you like your pie sweeter, but I prefer a more tart pie)
• 1 tablespoon flour

Directions

Pie Crust

You have to make the pie dough at least 2 hours ahead of time because you need to chill the pie dough  in the fridge before you roll it.

1) Cut the chilled butter into 1/2 inch cubes.

2) In a food processor, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pulse to mix, and then add butter. Pulse some more, roughly 8 times until the butter in the mixture is pea-sized. Add 1 tablespoon of the ice-cold water at a time, and continue to pulse until the mixture starts to hold together. If you pinch the mixture, it should hold together. If not, continue adding water.

3) Take the dough out of the food processor and place it on a cutting board (or another flat surface). Shape the dough into a ball (Make sure not to over-knead the dough).

4) Flatten the dough into a disc, sprinkle a little flour on the top and bottom of the disc, place the disc in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

5) Take the dough out of the refrigerator, and let it sit for 10 minutes at room temperature. Sprinkle flour on a flat surface and roll out the dough into a a circle with a 12 inch circumference. Carefully fold the dough in half and place into a 9 inch pie dish.

(This pie crust recipe is inspired by and very similar to the one from Simply Recipes).

Filling 

1) In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, lemon juice, cinnamon, and sugar.

2) Add the flour and mix well. You should not be able to see the flour (add more lemon juice if you do).

3) Add the filling to the pie crust. (Here’s where you would add the lattice).

4) Place pie in an oven that is preheated to 425 degrees.

5) Bake for 10 minutes, and then lower the oven to 350 degrees.

6) Bake for an additional 30 to 35 minutes.

7) I like to check my pie after it has baked for 25 minutes. I go around the pie and use a fork to poke the blueberries to release some of their juices.

Enjoy!