Blueberry Lattice Pie

Posted by Margalit

In poking through the freezer I came across three bags of frozen wild Maine blueberries from last summer. Oh dear! Something must be done with them right away, as summer is coming and more blueberries are going to be available in the farmer's market soon enough. First we get the big New Jersey berries, and then as summer wanes, it's the teeny Maine blueberries, the ones I freeze for muffins, cakes, and pies.

Tonight it was a pie I though I must make. Poking through my dusty recipe folder, I came across this pie that my Aunt Ellie used to make when we summered on her island in northern Maine. Yes, my aunt and uncle owned their own island, which now belongs to my cousin, that lucky duck. Aunt Ellie was the most natural cook I've ever met. She loved to cook, was an expert in historic recipes and cook books, and was the only person I've ever known that actually ate dinner in Julia Child's home in Cambridge MA. Boy, could Aunt Elly make a fabulous blueberry pie.

Blueberry Lattice Pie

Peeking through an easy-to-make lattice crust, glistening blueberries invite pie fanciers to take a bite.

2 pie crusts (recipe below)
3 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 cup sugar
2-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 egg yolk

In a medium-sized saucepan, combine 1 cup of the blueberries, the sugar, cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water.

Bring to a boil; cook and stir until mixture thickens and is clear.

Stir in butter; cool for 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 2 cups blueberries and the peel; cool. Preheat oven to 400*.

Pour cooled filling into one pie shell.

Lay the remaining pie shell on a waxed paper; cut seven 3/4-inch wide strips; arrange in a criss-cross pattern on top of blueberries, pressing ends into the edges of the bottom crust.

Combine egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water.

Brush top crust with egg mixture.

Place pie on a cookie sheet. Bake in the bottom third of the oven until crust is golden and filling gently bubbles, about 30 minutes.

Cool on a rack; serve warm.

Pie Crust

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup COLD butter
1/2 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt
3 tablespoons ice water

1. Mix flour and salt in mixing bowl. Cut butter into the flour with a pastry cutter, until mixture resembles the texture of tiny split peas. Do not use your hands to try and mix it, the heat from you hands will melt the shortening, causing the pastry to be "heavy", not light and flaky.

2. Once mixture is the right texture, add the ice water and combine with a fork. It may appear as if it needs more water, it does not. Quickly gather the dough into a ball and flatten into a 4-inch-wide disk. Wrap in plastic, and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

3. Remove dough disk from refrigerator. If stiff and very cold, let stand until dough is cool but malleable.

4. Using a floured rolling pin, roll dough disk on a lightly floured surface from the center out in each direction, forming a 12-inch circle. To transfer dough, carefully roll it around the rolling pin, lift and unroll dough, centering it in an ungreased 9-inch regular or deep-dish pie plate. (Or you can fold dough in quarters, then place dough point in center of pie pan and unfold dough, whatever is easiest for you.)

Makes 1 (9-inch) pie crust. Recipe can be doubled for a two-crust pie.

TAGS: Blueberry, Blueberry Lattice Pie, Blueberry Pie, Lattice Pie Crust, Pie
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