Blueberry Pie

Ingredients:

  • 4-5 cups blueberries - fresh or frozen

  • 2/3 cup granulated sugar ~OR~ 1/3 cup each: sugar Splenda
  • ¼ cup tapioca (or 7 tablespoon corn starch)
  • ½ tablespoon cinnamon
  • ½ tablespoon allspice (optional)

  • 3 tablespoon water (or grape juice)
  • 2 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 2-3 teaspoons of minced lemon zest (optional but SO yummy!)

  • 1 9-inch deep-dish pie crust (2 crusts for double crust pie or 1 crust for a crumble topping pie, see below)

Crumb Topping (optional)

  • ¼ cup sugar ~OR~ 1/8 cup each: sugar and Splenda
  • ½ cup flour
  • ¼ cup butter or margarine, chilled

Instructions:

  • Use your favorite pie crust recipe or cheat like I do and buy the one pre-made in the handy red box found in the dairy section of the grocery story. I make a terrible pie crust and over the years have learned to make do with the boxed kind. It’s not as oh-my-gosh delicious as a truly wonderful homemade one, but it’s far better than any of mine have ever turned out. (Remember to take it out about a half an hour before you want to use it.)

  • I used frozen blueberries as it’s not blueberry season right now, and blueberry pie was specifically requested by the birthday, um, boy.

  • Rinse in a colander under cool water, it’s not necessary to defrost and actually I prefer not to as I feel it makes them mushy and disgusting (but that’s my opinion).

  • In a small to medium bowl, mix the dry ingredients combining sugar, tapioca, and spices in a bowl. Then mix in the lemon juice and water. Do NOT mix the blueberries with the bowl ingredients!

  • Fit the bottom crust gently into your pan (I usually spray my pan first with Pam and dust a bit of flour).

  • Now, take your blueberries and pour them into the piecrust, mounding a bit as needed. Pour the bowl mixture over the blueberries trying to hit each berry as best you can.

  • Here is where you would make the crumble topping if you want this option. Just mix the dry ingredients in a bowl and then cut in with a pastry blender (or two butter-type knives) and then sprinkle all over the pie. That is actually my fav way of making just about any pie. Jeff likes a more traditional pie with a piecrust topping so that is what I used this time.

  • Fit the top crust over the berries, either using a lattice design or a single crust that you would then put slits in the top. Make sure to seal the edges well and flute as desired.

  • Something I do that some would cringe at – gently spray a bit of Pam (most folks would melt some butter) over the top of the crust and dust with sugar.

  • Bake at 375º for about 1 hour until the pie is all bubbly; start checking at about 45 minutes as all ovens are different (mine took about 1 hour 20 minutes - I hate electric ovens!). Cool on a rack for an hour or so (if you can bear to, we never make it that long!). Yum.

Comments (3)

On March 26, 2009 at 11:25 AM , Anonymous said...

I must try this!

 
On April 1, 2009 at 7:32 PM , Gina (Caleeo) said...

This sounds really good - have you ever made it with the corn starch? Tapioca kinda creeps me out.

 
On April 1, 2009 at 9:29 PM , Kiy said...

Gina - sure, just use equal amounts. However, really, you can't taste or see the Tapioca and I really feel it works better to firm up a pie. I hate watery pie! I have a photo of this, still on the camera. I need to post it.

Kiy