Stars and Stripes and Blueberry Pie!

Happy 4th of July everyone! It is the time of year to use the summer's bounty of berries to make pie! It is my favorite time of year because I love the 4th of July and I love berries! It is so wonderful to live in a place with such a bounty of summer fruits! I made this blueberry pie for the 4th of July barbecue that my family had and it was as good as always. This is a very simple pie recipe that I got from The Pie and Pastry Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. This recipe is such a winner because it so artfully showcases the blueberries just as they are, ripe, juicy and sweet! Enjoy!

Here is the recipe:

Blueberry Pie: Adapted from The Pie and Pastry Bible

Ingredients:

Pie crust for a 9-10 inch pie ( I ended up making a 10 inch pie)

1/2 of a large egg white- beaten

4 cups blueberries- rinsed and dried
1/2 cup water + 2 tablespoons divided
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt


Pie Shell:

Make a pie shell for a 9-10 inch single crust pie ahead and chill in the freezer for at least 1 hour before making your pie. I like to make my pie shells several days ahead so that they are very cold when they go into the oven and thus are more flaky. Also, with some extra dough cut out a few stars and chill them as well.

Line the pie crust with either parchment paper or foil filled with beans or rice. (I keep a pouch of foil filled with rice in my baking drawer for this purpose so that I can reuse it over and over to blind bake my pie crusts when needed. ) Bake at 375F for 20 minutes. Remove the foil or paper with rice or beans. Prick the crust on the bottom with a fork many times. Then, bake it for another 10-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool the crust for about 3 minutes, then brush the bottom & sides with the egg white.

During the final 10 minutes of baking you may bake your dough stars. Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar, then bake about 10 minutes.

Pie Filling:

Measure out 1 cup of blueberries. Place them in a saucepan together with the ½ cup water. Cover & bring them to a boil.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl, whisk together the cornstarch and the remaining 2 tablespoons of water. Set it aside.

When the water and blueberries have come to a boil, lower the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, for 3 to 4 minutes or until the blueberries start to burst and the juices begin to thicken. Stirring constantly add the cornstarch mixture, the sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Simmer for a minute or until the mixture becomes translucent. Immediately remove it from the heat and quickly fold in the remaining 3 cups of blueberries.

Spoon the mixture into the baked pie shell and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours before serving. When set, the berries will remain very juicy but will not flow out of the crust.

Enjoy this pie and enjoy summer!!