Monday, June 21, 2010

Blueberry Pie - perfect for Father's Day and Fourth of July

It is a hot Michigan day. We have checked in at the front of the blueberry farm and my dad has given me my bucket. "Come back when your bucket is full," he told me. I am somewhere between the rows, sitting down joyfully pulling blueberries right off the vine and popping them in my mouth. The sweet juice fills my mouth as the skins are torn by my teeth. When I hear my dad somewhere - rows over - say, "Don't just sit there and eat them. Are you filling your bucket?" I guiltily lie and say, "Yes." Not knowing till years later that the tell-tale stains of lying are written all over my face.

4 cups of fresh blueberries
3/4 cup of sugar
5 tablespoons of cornstarch
3 tablespoons of lemon juice (fresh squeezed is the best)
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 tablespoon of butter
2 nine inch pastry shells. One for the bottom and one for the lattice top. (Recipe will not follow because I use store-bought.)

Place one pastry shell in the bottom of a nine inch pie pan. Blueberries are some of the most fragile fruit, so spread them gently in the shell. Mix together the next five ingredients and then pour/spread this mixture over the blueberries. Cut the tablespoon of butter and place the pads evenly around the top. Carefully cut the other pastry shell into one inch wide strips. Place them one at a time over the top of the pie weaving in and out to form a lattice top for your pie. When my mother made blueberry pie she let me stand on a chair to do this part. Crimp the edges of the pie to form a thick crust. Before placing your pie in the oven, make sure you put it on a jelly roll pan. Blueberry pie is fabulous, but not when burned to the bottom of your oven. Bake 50-55 minutes (depending on the temperamental nature of your oven) at 375 degrees. Allow your pie to sit up for one hour before eating. Then serve it slightly warm with vanilla ice cream (preferably home made). Do not take your plate to the sink after eating because you are going to want seconds. Possibly thirds.

2 comments:

Shannon said...

Oh you are making me hungry and if you knew what I just ate for dinner you would understand what an amazing thing that is.

Unknown said...

Yumm!!! :)