Blueberry Pie

I seem to “wing it” through some of my fruit pie recipes, so bear with me.

I made the crust from an old family recipe (Great Aunt Laverne’s Pie Crust). You can do the same or buy one, although I shudder at the thought when you are using fresh fruit.

The Crust: Great Aunt Laverne’s Pie Crust!!
In a large bowl add 1 1/2 cups of shortening and 3 cups flour plus a pinch of salt (if desired). Mix with fork until crumbly. Set aside.

In a separate bowl mix 1 egg, add to that 1 teaspoon of baking soda, mix, add then add 1 Tablespoon of vinegar. It will start to foam, this is a chemical reaction (just think of it as a fluffy crust). Add to that 5 Tablespoons of cold water.

When finished, pour the egg mixture into the shortening and flour mixture, mix with fork until incorporated. It is important to form the dough into 3 round discs placed in waxed or parchment paper and refrigerate for at least a half hour. This recipe is generally wetter than most. It can be refrigerated longer. When ready to make the pie, roll the pieces of dough and place in desired pie plates. You should get 3 8″ pie crusts from this recipe, two if you want them for a larger pie, such as 10″. This method affords you more to work with.

For the Filling:
I used enough blueberries for two 8″ pies, or two to 4 pints. I like mine heaping. You can adjust this according to your own taste and visual appeal.

I squeezed the juice of 1 lemon, and added it to 1 cup sugar or to taste. Then add the berries. Depending on the sweetness of the berry you may want to add more sugar. Let this mixture sit in the refrigerator overnight or if you are preparing it the same day, set it aside covered with cloth for up to 3 hours. You want the sugar and juices to marry.

I rarely use cornstarch, so in this recipe I made it optional. I like free form pies, I don’t care for all of that thickener when it comes to my fruit pies. If you prefer the thickener, then add it to the berry mixture when you assemble it, so the mixture can thicken while your “marriage is taking place”.

When the marriage has taken place, scoop the berry mixture carefully (so as not to damage blueberries) into the prepared pie shell. Dot with unsalted sweet butter, about 5 Tablespoons of sugar for each pie and/or cinnamon, if desired. Then top the pie with the top crust. Be sure to create slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape.

I place a cookie sheet under the pie on the next level of the oven to keep all those juices from creating such a mess. Put the pie on the rack above, in a preheated 400 degree F oven for 15 minutes and then turn oven down to 350 degrees F for 45 minutes. (I watch for the bubbling around the edges of the pie to determine doneness. I usually keep it in the oven for another 15 minutes if I haven’t seen that.)

Cool on rack, rest, and if you can’t wait any longer then go ahead and cut.

All these ingredients are approximates so adjust according to taste.