The ultimate blueberry pie, with just-picked berries and buttery-tender homemade crust. Make the crust ahead so it can chill a few hours before rolling out. Then bake the pie before dinner so it has just enough time to cool; the filling will start to hold together, and the pie will still be warm from the oven. The lattice crust with a sprinkle of sugar is a classic touch—and makes this pie especially inviting with those beautiful, juicy berries. Go big on the filling; it’ll cook down.
My mother and I made this in Maine with slightly tart blueberries fresh from the orchard. Heaven! Such a hit, actually, that we did it all again two days later. For that hint of tartness, you can also mix in some fresh raspberries.
Ingredients:
Double batch of homemade crust
For the filling:
5–6 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbsp flour
2 Tbsp cornstarch
Juice of one lemon
For the egg wash and topping:
Egg yolk whisked with a little water or milk
Sugar in the raw
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, mix the berries, sugar, flour, cornstarch and lemon juice. Take the first disk of chilled crust out of the fridge; roll out as your bottom crust, and fit it into a deep pie dish. Then roll out your second crust and cut it into strips. Add the berries to the pie dish, then arrange the lattice on top. Start with the longest pieces crossing the middle both ways, and work out from there, lifting the strips carefully from each end to weave the lattice. Trim excess dough and crimp the edges together. Brush the egg wash over the top crust and sprinkle with the raw sugar.
2. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes. (The crust will start to brown). Cover the pie with foil so the crust doesn’t burn, turn the oven down to 350 degrees, and bake another 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling bubbles and the top crust is golden-brown. (If you want to protect the edges but let the middle brown more, you can also cut a ring of foil or buy a pie shield).
3. Cool on a rack for two hours or so, then serve—with our without vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream!
