I said here that if it was good, I’d share the recipe.
It was delicious, so here it is:
From Cook’s Illustrated – “Best Blueberry Pie”
The key to this pie’s success is in getting the yumminess of blueberry filling to stay in place and not run all over the plate when cut and not creating some gummy type of filling in the process. The secret is in using just a small bit of tapioca, and using the natural pectin of the apple to help complete the thickening process in a much more appetizing way. The pie cut beautifully and the filling stayed intact – at least for the two minutes before it was devoured. The crust was really good – very buttery and flaky and not dense at all. Well worth the effort, and not really all that tough to make.
Foolproof Pie Dough
2.5 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus extra for countertop
1 tsp table salt
2 Tbs sugar
12 Tbs (1.5 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ slices
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces
1/4 cup cold vodka (secret ingredient for texture – don’t substitute)
1/4 cup cold water
Blueberry Filling
6 cups (about 30 ounces) fresh or frozen berries
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
2 tsp grated zest and 2 tsp juice from 1 lemon
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbs instant tapioca, ground with spice grinder or food processor
Pinch table salt
2 Tbs unsalted butter, cut into 1/4″ pieces
1 large egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp water
Pie Dough:
Process 1.5 cups flour, salt and sugar in food processor until combined, about two 1-second pulses. Add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to collect in uneven clumps, about 15 seconds: dough looks like cottage cheese, and there is no uncoated flour. Scrape bowl with rubber spatula and even up around blade. And remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is even distributed, and mass of dough has been broken up, 4 to 6 quick pulses. Empty into medium bowl.
Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture. With spatula, fold dough, pushing down until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together. Divide into two even balls, flatten to 4″ disks and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least 45 minutes or up to two days.
Remove dough from refrigerator and roll out on floured (up to 1/4 cup) surface to 12″ circle, 1/8″ thick. Roll onto rolling pin then drape over pie plate leaving 1″ overhang on all sides. Press into bottom of plate. Refrigerate while preparing filling, at least thirty minutes.
Filling:
Place oven rack to lowest position, place a rimmed cookie sheet on rack and preheat oven to 400. For fresh berries: Place 3 cups of berries in medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Using a potato masher, mash berries several times to release juices. Cook, stirring frequently and mashing occasionally until about half the berries are broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly. For frozen berries: Follow the same instructions, but don’t mash berries, and cook longer, about 12 to 15 minutes.
Place the grated apple in clean kitchen towel and wring dry. Transfer to large bowl. Add cooked berries, remaining 3 cups of fresh or frozen berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca and salt and toss to combine. Transfer to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over top.
Roll out the second dough disk to 11-inch circle. Using a small circle cutter, cut round from center of dough. Cut another 6 or 8 circles (one per piece of pie, however you decide to divide it – 8 pieces were still very generous) about 1.5″ from the edge of the center hole and equally spaced. See photos here. Roll dough over rolling pin and drape across top of pie leaving 1/2″ on each side.
With kitchen shears, trim bottom layer of overhanging dough leaving 1/2″. Fold dough under itself so the the edge of fold is flush with the edge of plate. Flute edges with thumb or press to seal with the tines of a fork. Brush top and edges of dough with egg mixture. If dough has warmed and is soft, set in the refrigerator for 10 minutes before baking.
Place pie on heated baking sheet and bake 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 and bake until juices are bubbling and crust is a deep golden brown, about 30-40 additional minutes. Transfer pie to wire rack to cool for at least four hours. I finished mine late at night and let cool all night, then wrapped them up in the morning. Cut into wedges and serve with ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
Enjoy. You will.