Blueberry Pie

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Pie is a huge thing in my family to celebrate the warmer months. Some of my first memories are making pie with my mom. We all used to go to Maine for a week or so over the summer during which we would go on a hike to pick fresh blueberries. My mom would make sure we filled a gallon bag or two so we could freeze them and make blueberry pie with great blueberries all summer long. I'm sure it was also a great way to keep me and my brother occupied during the hike.

For this reason, blueberry pie was always my favorite! But it also introduced me to my sweet tooth, which is something I still have to fight back to this day. I seldom win.

The true magic of a great pie, is a great crust. Flaky, golden, and thick enough to hold itself together at the bottom. My family has an amazing recipe for a great crust from a Betty Crocker cookbook from my moms childhood. It's more specific than most recipes I follow, but for good reason.

You start by sifting all the flour. I've not done this step before which is fine, but it does make the crust more delicate. Once sifted, go ahead and add the salt. I suggest mixing with a fork since you'll be using it more in a bit. This is where is starts getting a big more complicated.

The recipe then calls for 2/3 cup shortening. In the past, my mom has also tried 1/3 cup shortening and 1/3 cup butter which is popular in other recipes. We always find ourselves reverting to Crisco but theoretically the butter would help make a lighter crust. We found that it wasn't as tender and felt a little less like a pie crust.

When working in your fat of choice, add 1/3 cup at a time, and work the fat into the flour with the fork. If you have a pastry blender, feel free to use it. Most people don't have one and I hated them because they're a pain to clean. While mixing the fat into the flour, you'll essentially need to mash it in until it becomes sand-like or in the size of peas. Add your next 1/3 cup in and continue to make the pea-shaped crumbs.

Once all the fat has been worked in, it gets trickier. And by trickier, I mean more difficult to explain. Push all of the mixture to one side of the bowl. You'll also need ice water (the temperature is important - I'm not actually sure why). Add one tablespoon of ice water at a time by pouring it onto one side of the mixture, the mix bit by bit with your fork. When the water trickles down, bring more flour-fat mixture down until is begins to form a shortcrust texture. Once that section is no longer absorbing any flour-fat mixture, add the next tablespoon of water.

Usually, this takes me around four tablespoons of ice water. I imagine the humidity would also change exactly how much water is called for. If it's really not combining, add more water little by little. It is supposed to be a dry dough, so if it's just a bit, leave it. By the end of it, you should have a lovely dough ball about the size of a softball, if not a bit bigger.

To roll it, add a sheet of parchment paper to your counter, the dough ball, then another sheet of parchment paper. Press down with the roller first to start it going in the shape you would like it to go in. Next, start rolling. I like to have it on the parchment paper so it's easier to flip around in case I need to roll in a different direction. You should be able to roll it decently thin, about 1/8 of an inch.

Once it looks like it's about the right thickness, it's time to press it into the pie pan. Get your hand under the crust and take off the top layer of parchment paper. With the other hand, place your pie in up-side-down onto the crust. Keep your hand on the bottom of the pan. With your hand under the crust, flip. This way causes the least breakage. Make sure to press the crust into any corners or dips in your pie pan, then cut off excess. Leave enough so it goes over the edge a bit. This comes in handy for the lattice top later. Put any excess cuttings back in the bowl and save for later. That will be used for the top as well.

Now, it's time for the filling. There aren't as many rules with filling. The only part that could make it more complicated is the fact that when the blueberries cook down, it creates a lot of juice. There are a couple things you'll need to add to make sure the juice congeals correctly. This is the purpose of the lemon juice and the flour. However; too much lemon juice and not enough sugar will make a sour pie. You're already making pie, you may as well add the bit of extra sugar to make it enjoyable. All filling ingredients can be mixed in any order.

Once the filling has been mixed, add it to the pie tin. Once your crust is filled to the brim, you'll be added a lattice top. This is (in my opinion) one of the most classic, all American looks for pie. Roll the extra crust dough the same way you rolled it before. This time, try to roll it into more of a rectangle. Once it's been rolled to the correct thickness, slice it the long way into half-inch strips. I like to use a pastry wheel for that classic crinkled edge, but a regular knife works just as well.

Once you have a good amount of these strips, it's time to start assembling. It's essentially like a large braid. You can start by laying half the strips in one direction, equally spaced. Next, start to add the other half in a 45º angle (ish). As you add them, pick up the original strips to have every-other one over. When you add your second opposite-direction strip, alternate which original strips go over and under. Repeat this until your pie has been covered. Some of the strips will go over the side of the crust. Trim them to the edge of the bottom crust.

To tie your pie together, you'll need to finger-pinch the sides. With the extra dough crust that's on the sides, roll it towards the center. stop once it touches the filling. Once all the crust has been rolled, you'll start to finger pinch. This is very easy and continues the classic look, but it's not absolutely necessary. Put your left pointer finger on the crust and push down. At the same time , pinch the right side of the crust with your right hand. It will make a triangle-looking motif on the pie. Place your left pointer finger next to the triangle and pinch again. Continue this around the crust until it's all been finger-pinched.

Heat the oven to 425. Brush the crust with egg-white wash to get the shiny, golden-brown effect. Wrap tinfoil lightly around the edge of the pie to ensure the crust doesn't burn. Keep them on for 20-30 minutes. Pie should be ready around 45 minutes.

Let cool before serving. This will take some time so be patient! If you would like to enjoy your pie after dinner, I suggest getting it out of the oven by lunch time.

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Ingredients for crust:

• 2 cups of flour

• 1 tsp salt

• 2/3 cup shortening (crisco)

• 4 tsp ice cold water

Ingredients for filling:

• 2/3 to 1 cup of sugar

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1 tsp cinnamon

• 3 cups fresh blueberries

• 1/2 lemon

Directions:

1. Sift flour into a bowl. Add salt and mix.

2. add 1/3 cup of shortening at a time. Use a fork or pastry blender until it resembles sand with pea-sized bits.

3. Add water one tablespoon at a time, mixing completely before adding the next tablespoon.

4. Roll out dough to 1/8 inch thick, add to a pie pan and press into edges. There should be extra dough.

5. Mix filling and add to the pie pan.

6. Roll the extra dough out to the same thickness, slice the long way into the strips for the lattice top.

7. Preheat oven to 425º

8. Lay half of the crust strips over the pie in one direction. Add the other half one by one, weaving them with the original strips.

9. Cut off extra crush an inch over the dish. Roll the remaining crust on the sides and finger-pinch.

10. Brush with egg-white wash. Put tinfoil around the edges of the crust so it doesn't burn

11. Take tinfoil off after 20-20 minutes. Pie should be ready after 45 minutes.

12. Let cool completely before serving.