Blueberry Pie with a Twist

Well hey there, April vacation!  Long time no see!  And the last time I saw you, you totally ruined my life, but this week is off to a great start already.  Only two days in and I've already gotten a sunburn, gone on two walks, seen some friends, been dog-sitting a precious pug, and had a cookout at my mom's.  Not too shabby, and my 5 days off haven't even officially started till tomorrow!

Anyway, let's talk about summer, because it felt like summer today.  I actually got a sunburn sitting in my backyard drinking coffee.  Heaven (minus the sunburn).  It makes me really look forward to actual summer time: sleeping late, beach days, and fresh local produce!  I recently used my last frozen blueberries to make this blueberry pie, and I am pretty sure that I have thought about the fact that I have no more blueberries fairly nonstop ever since.  I need more, and I need to pick them myself.  Let the countdown to summer begin.

If I was using my last berries, at least it was on this pie.  I was kind of intrigued by it for a few reasons.  First, the pie crust had confectionary sugar in it, which I thought was interesting because most pie dough isn't all that sweet.  Second, the pie filling itself had fun things like cinnamon, allspice, and even red wine in it - in fact, it recommends using blueberry wine if you can find it.  I used regular red wine, but it's definitely something to try out in the future.

I did make the mistake of using whole what flour like the recipe suggests. My family is very prejudiced against whole wheat flour and immediately decide not to like something when they know it's in there.  So I can't really tell you how this pie was.  I didn't have any and no one really raved over it, but I think it was from the pre-judging of the color of the crust!  Please do me a favor and try this pie out, and use all-purpose flour, and tell me how it went!

Recipe:

blueberry pie with a twist
from King Arthur Flour
makes 8 - 10 servings

Ingredients:
for crust:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or all-purpose flour)
4 teaspoons buttermilk powder (optional; I did not have any)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons confectionary sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
5 tablespoons ice water
for filling:
6 cups frozen blueberries
1/3 cup fruity wine, blueberry if possible
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup confectionary sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons butter, melted
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
milk and coarse sugar, for brushing and sprinkling over top crust

Instructions:

1) Make the crust.  In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, buttermilk powder, salt, sugar, and baking powder.  Cut the butter into small cubes and work it into the dry ingredients using your fingers, a pastry blender or fork, or a mixer until the dough is unevenly crumbly.  Sprinkle in the ice water, mixing until the dough is cohesive.  Grab a handful; if it holds together willingly and doesn't seem at all dry or crumbly, you've added enough liquid.

2) Divide the dough roughly in half, making one half slightly larger than the other.  Shape each piece of dough into a disk.  Working with one disk at a time, roll the edges along a floured work surface as though the disk were a wheel in order to smooth them out.  Pat the disks until they are about 1 inch thick, wrap them in plastic wrap, and refrigerate overnight or for up to 3 days.

3) Prepare the blueberries.  Place the berries in a large saute pan, preferably 12-inch.  Add the wine.  Simmer the berries gently, over medium-low heat, until the liquid in the bottom of the pan is syrupy.  This will take about 45 minutes.  Remove from heat.  If needed, you can do this the day before and refrigerate the berries.

4) Remove both pieces of dough from the refrigerator.  Allow them to warm a bit and become flexible, about 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Flour your work surface, and roll the larger piece of dough into a 12-inch circle.  Transfer the dough to a 9-inch regular pie pan that is at least 1 1/4 inches deep.  Leave the edges hanging over the edge of the pan.

5) In a medium bowl, combine the blueberries and their juice, the spices, vanilla, sugars, salt, and lemon juice, stirring to combine.  Mix in the butter, then the flour.

6) Spoon the filling into the crust.  Roll the remaining piece of dough into an 11-inch circle and lay it atop the filling.  Bring the hanging edges of the bottom crust up and over the top crust, rolling and squeezing them together, then crimping decoratively.  Cut three slashes in the top of the pie to allow steam to escape.  Brush top crust with milk and sprinkle with coarse sugar if desired.

7) Bake pie for 30 minutes.  Lay a sheet of aluminum foil gently on top, covering the entire crust.  Bake for an additional 30-40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown and you can see the berries bubbling through the slits in the crust.  Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool to room temperature, at least 5 hours.  I know that seems hard, but it helps everything to thicken up.  If you can't wait, just be prepared for it to be a little messier.