Traditional Blueberry Pie
Instead of heading home, snagging take-out, and lounging on the couch post Friday night bartending, we opted to get in some late night baking in preparation for the 4th of July. For some reason I’ve been set on having a warm berry pie topped with ice cream as part of my 4th of July celebration. & I’ve even been “cooling it with the treats” in preparation to indulge. So I woke up Friday morning, made pie crust while sipping my morning coffee, and spent my evening making a Traditional Blueberry Pie to enjoy for the holiday. So all American barbecue!
It might be because we closed the bar for the actual 4th & also because we’re on the cusp of getting out of town and already embracing vacation mode vibes, but we were jazzed to go home and get to work in the kitchen. There is something fun about having a project, in this case a kitchen project, that goes into the latere evening. I mean we were baking until like midnight, & it was so fun & refreshing. So often we get home from the bar and we’re just ready to veg-out…..hard. Running around a taproom for a couple hours definitely has some physical effects that usually put us both in the mood to kick our feet up. Point being that usually I sort of get slip into tv time/relaxation/mindless mode starting at 9pm, but not this Friday! Yummy finger foods & some real enthusiasm for making a mess in our kitchen. & a rejuvenated enthusiasm for starting late night kitchen projects because they really are so fun.
The dough
Pie dough from scratch is real good, and rolling out homemade pie dough is a real workout. Like it’s the one part of this whole thing that almost made me turn back & say “ya - let’s just save this until the morning.” Cold pie dough is just hard af, and the part about getting it going in terms of rolling it out is the hardest hurdle of the whole thing. However, perk of working on this with a loved on as a little in-house date-night: you can tag them in! Thank god for Jordan & his willingness to help me with these kitchen projects. We went back and forth rolling out the pie dough a couple of times, and having that little bit of help was pretty much my saving grace.
Jordan got me silicon mat for my birthday that is perfect for pie dough rolling, because the thing is you want to be real sure your dough, particularly the piece that will be lining the bottom of your pan, is big enough. So these little silicon mats (one is linked here & it’s exactly what I have) are so nice since you have the measurements for the radius you need right at your fingertips. No guess-timations needed. For my recipe, I went for a disk that was 13 inches in diameter, and that gave me plenty of wiggle room to trim the edges for a clean look to my pie.
Get creative & don’t worry about precision….it’s the beauty of pie
Pies sort of just have this organic look to them, and I like the lack of perfect they bring to the table. I also like the lack of precision needed to make one - makes your job in the kitchen very easy. It starts with the dough - use a food processor if you have one. Makes the job quick, easy, and pretty perfect for incorporating the butter.
Next - the filling. So dang easy! Toss fresh berries with a little lemon, sugar, and cornstarch. No additional steps other than stirring them together needed. Just don’t skip the cornstarch component. It’s the thickener that is key to get the fruit filling to not be too runny, & it’ll give you a clean slice when you cut into it. Just one perfect slice that’s not a total
Now the pie dough prep. The thing to remember is you can be kind of messy with it and, again, not worry too much about precision to get a cute looking pie. For the base layer, as long have a pie dough that’s big enough, who cares if it’s a hot mess otherwise! Uneven edges - no worries. Trimming the dough is your friend, and you can go from there to crimp or add any other edge detail of your choosing.
The top is your final step, and don’t over think it. You can use a small star or heart shaped cookie cutter and just cut out dozens of those and lay all over the pie (I used this method just for some detail), & you can lattice. Yes - making a lattice requires some technique, and I highly encourage you to watch a Youtube video to just get a visual. But it definitely doesn’t need to be perfect. Just do your best! The bubbling of the fruit juices rise up and add some natural detail to the top, & it’s a pretty charming detail (in my opinion). It also kind of distracts from any imperfections, and it all works in your favor to end up with a cute little pie no matter how precise/imprecise your top layer is.
Don’t skip the sugary finish
The final step of brushing the top of the pie with egg wash & sprinkling sugar all over the top is not optional - it’s crucial. The sugar caramelizes, takes on a toasty flavor + dark brown color, and it’s that sugary bite that is just a nice finish to the whole pie. It’s kind of reminiscent of the burnt sugar top of a creme brulee, & it’s perfect. So don’t be shy with sprinkling sugar all over the top at the very end!
A perfect treat for the 4th of July, and a perfect holiday eve in the kitchen. It successfully satisfied my warm pie topped with ice cream fixation, being just as fun to make as it was to eat. So cheers to a few more late night bakes this Summer. I have a feeling I’ll have more nights like this in my near future.
For the crust
3 3/4 c. flour
1 tsp salt
3 sticks of butter
1/2 c. - 3/4 c. ice water
For the pie
3 pints blueberries
Zest of 1 lemon + 1 tbsp of lemon juice
1/2 c. sugar plus more for dusting
3 tbsp cornstarch
1 egg
Vanilla ice cream, for serving
Start by making the crust. Place the flour + salt in a food processor. Cut the sticks of butter into small cubes. I do this by cutting each stick into 4 equal sized smaller sticks, halving the stick long-ways, rotating, & then halving the stick again. Then slice the sticks in the opposite direction to get small cubes. Place those in the food processor with the flour + pulse until the butter is the size of small pieces of gravel. Add in 1/2 c. of water, pulse for 10-15 seconds, adding an additional tablespoon of water at a time (no more than an additional 1/4 c.) until the dough forms one large ball. Remove dough from the food processor, separate into 3 equal-ish pieces, form each into a disk, wrap each in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Make the filling. Toss the fresh blueberries with the lemon, sugar, & cornstarch. Mix gently. and do so until the cornstarch & sugar are mixed together & you can a syrup like consistency coating the fruit.
Preheat the oven to 425.
Roll out one disk into a 13 in. circle in & gently place a ceramic pie dish, trimming any overhang so it aligns with the very edge of the pie dish. Place back in the refrigerator.
Roll out the remaining two pie dough disks in a rectangular shapes, transferring one to a pie of parchment. Cut both rectangles into 1-inch strips, trimming any end pieces. Keep the one on the parchment as your base for the lattice. I went for a 2-1 lattice pattern - alternating pulling back 2 of my one inch pieces / leaving 2 flat, and weaving 1 piece of dough at a 45 degree angle between my base layer pieces. Complete this lattice pattern, keeping the final product on your parchment paper. Pour the fruit filling on top of the chilled base layer, and gently slide the top lattice piece on top of the pie. Gently tip the parchment at an angle, and it will slide right onto your pie. Optional: cut small shapes out of your remaining pie dough, and place on one side of the pie for additional decor.
Beat one egg, and brush it onto the top of the pie. Sprinkle a spoonful of sugar on top of the egg wash, trying to sprinkle evenly over the top. Place the pie on a foil lined baking sheet. Bake at 425 for 20 minutes, then at 375 for 60-70 minutes. Turn the pie 45 degrees every 25-30 minutes. It’s done when it’s golden brown & bubbling.
Let cool for about 25-30 minutes, topping your pieces with ice cold ice cream. The perfect summer treat.