Ever since I had the blueberry pie at Bartley's Dockside in Kennebunkport, Maine, one summer, I have been trying to find a recipe that will yield something just as delicious. Especially now that summer is slowly exiting the building. Now, I don't know if Mrs. B uses fresh wild blueberries that she picks on the weekends, but somehow I doubt it, so I didn't worry about using frozen organic berries. And I made sure to include the hint of cinnamon. This pie was fantastic; not too sweet, but still a rich treat. It doesn't run all over your plate. And it's best warm with vanilla bean ice cream.
Wild Blueberry Pie
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons tapioca starch
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
½ teaspoon sea salt
5 cups frozen wild blueberries
1½ teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into 8 small cubes
Pie Crust
Preheat oven to 400°F.
In a mixing bowl, prepare the filling. Whisk together sugars, flour, tapioca starch, and spices. Toss the berries in the dry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice and toss to combine. Set aside.
On a floured surface, roll out one ball of dough to a 13-inch circle and transfer into a 9-inch deep-dish pie dish. Trim any excess dough that is draping over the edges of the pie plate, and set aside.
Pour the berries gradually into crust, making sure to scrape all of the juices and sugar into the pie with a spatula. Dot the berries with butter.
Roll out top crust into a 10-inch circle and set atop pie. Fold bottom crust up over top crust; crimp to seal. Cut slits in the top. Set a pie crust shield on top to keep the edges from getting too brown. Bake 50-60 minutes, turning once or twice, until juices bubble up out of the vents and the top is golden brown. You can remove the pie crust shield during the last 5 to 10 minutes if the edges have not browned.
Makes 10 to 12 servings
Pie Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for work surface and crust bottom
¼ cup cake flour
½ teaspoon table salt
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¾ cup (1½ sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
¼ cup vegetable shortening
1 tablespoons vodka
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water, divided
In a large mixing bowl, whisk flours with salt and sugar. Add butter and shortening; use a pastry blender to work it in until the mixture has the consistency of fine meal. Add the vodka and then the ice water 1 tablespoon at a time, stopping when the dough just holds together. Toss with a fork until dough starts to form a ball. Turn dough onto floured counter, and knead three times, until smooth. Divide dough into two balls. Flatten each ball slightly and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate the dough for at least an hour.