Blueberry Pie

My friend Jane was telling me about her blueberry pie and how it was the best.  I asked for the recipe and she said it came from a book that she thought was fantastic.  So, I just bought the book.  Great Pies and Tarts by Carole Water.  That is truly one of the best things about Amazon.com.  They have about everything.  It took me less than 30 seconds to find the book and click send.  I got the book in two days and have made the blueberry pie.

The book has recipes that can be quite detailed.  Different crusts for different pies, etc.  But, if you just want to cut and paste a recipe, do it.  It isn't essential to use the exact crust for a pie if you don't have the energy.

I made the classic pie crust that I always make but that was pretty much what was called for in the book.  I won't go into details on that because if you can make a pie crust, make it.  If not, buy one already made and nobody will ever know.  This particular pie has a crumble on top.

Filling:
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp cornstach
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 cup water
3 pints blueberries
1 tbsp instant tapioca
1-2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp unsalted butter

Whisk together the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon in a large skillet.  Stir in the water.  Add the blueberries and stir gently.  Bring to a slow boil over a low heat.  Stir gently so you don't pop the blueberries.  I admit, I forgot about the water and everything turned out okay.  Cook only about 5 minutes.  Better undercooked than overcooked because the blueberries bake again in the oven.  The key is making sure the sugar, cornstarch and cinnamon are completely melted and mixed thoroughly with the blueberries.

There is a whole process of layering the blueberries and sprinkling with tapioca.  I have a pretty big skillet and opted to let them cool a little and do it in the same pan.  Less mess.  I moved about 2/3 of the blueberries to the side and sprinkled some tapioca on top.  Then moved some more blueberries on top and sprinkled some more and then did it again.  Mixed up the blueberries very gently and let the tapioca set on them for about 15 minutes to absorb. 

Pour this into the pie plate ( the bottom ) and dot with butter and sprinkle with lemon juice. I forgot that part but is probably worth it.  Don't put the juices in, just the blueberries.  So use a slotted spoon.

Crumble Top:
1 cup flour
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. kosher salt
1/3 cup melted butter and cooled to lukewarm

Combined the dry ingredients and then pour over the melted butter.  Using a fork, mix to make crumbs.  You can squeeze them together and then break them up over the pie.  Don't press the crumbs into the top, just sprinkle everywhere.

In order to prevent burning, pour tin foil underneath the edges to prevent from burning and also put foil over the top about 35 minutes into the baking process.  It will help the top not burn. 

Bake for about 50 minutes.   This recipe also called for a blueberry sauce but I didn't think it was necessary.  Vanilla ice cream did the trick.