Summer is here and there are few better ways to celebrate the season than experiencing all the tasty fruits and veggies only a summer harvest can bring. U-pick farms across the Pacific Northwest will be bustling with visitors old and young as they comb through branches in search of sweet berries.
With blueberries just starting to get their color, there’s no better time than now to start thinking about what to make with it all. After jams and other preserves have been made for the seasons to follow, use what’s left of your harvest for a super sweet and tasty pie.
For an extra burst of blueberry, incorporate a splash of Finnriver’s Appleblueberry Sparkling Cider to the mix. This semi-sweet concoction will add to your pie’s filling in more ways than one.
Prep time: 40 minutes
Bake time: 1 hour to 1 hour and 20 minutes
Makes: One pie
For the crust:
Use a fail-proof recipe for pate brisee like this one from Martha Stewart.
For the filling:
4 pints blueberries
¼ cup sugar
½ cup Finnriver Appleblueberry Sparkling Cider
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream
Directions:
Make the pie crust.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of pie dough and place in a 9-inch pie plate, pressing dough over and under pie pan. Roll out remaining disc of dough and place on parchment paper or baking sheet. Chill in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine blueberries, sugar, cider, cornstarch and lemon juice. Spoon the blueberry mixture into the chilled pie shell, making sure that the berries are mounded in the center of the pie shell.
Remove remaining pie dough from refrigerator and place on top of blueberry filling, tucking the edges of the top dough under the pan to connect with the bottom dough layer. (You can crimp the dough for added decoration.)
Using a knife, cut several vent holes into the top layer of the pie. Whisk together the egg and cream and brush it on the top layer of the pie.
Preheat oven to 400° F. Place pie in fridge or freezer for 30 minutes. Once chilled, remove pie from fridge or freezer and place in center rack of preheated oven.
Bake until crust begins to turn golden, 20–30 minutes, then cover with foil and reduce heat to 350 degrees fahrenheit and continue cooking 40 minutes more, or until filling is thick and bubbly.
Once fully cooked, remove pie from oven and let cool. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
