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Maine wild blueberry pie
Double-crust pie of tiny lowbush blueberries
AmericanIn August the barrens of Down East Maine turn blue with lowbush blueberries, smaller and more intense than the cultivated kind, and every diner and county fair sells this pie. The filling is just berries, sugar, lemon and a little thickener under a buttery double crust, so it tastes of fruit rather than spice. Frozen wild blueberries work well all year. Chef's tip: bake until the juices bubble thickly through the vents in the centre, not just the edges; that is when the thickener has worked.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 11 ½ oz plain flour
- ½ tsp salt
- 8 oz cold butterdiced
- ½ cup ice-cold water
For the filling
- 5 ½ oz sugar
- 1 ¼ oz cornflour
- 1 lemonzest and 1 tbsp juice
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp milkfor brushing
- 1 tbsp demerara sugar
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What you'll need
Fresh ingredients (3)
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Rub the 8 oz cold butter into the 11 ½ oz plain flour and ½ tsp salt until it looks like breadcrumbs with some pea-sized bits. Stir in the ½ cup ice-cold water a spoonful at a time until it just holds together.
8 minStep 2: Divide in two, flatten into discs, wrap and chill for 1 hour.
60 minStep 3: Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) with a baking tray inside. Toss the 1 ¾ lb wild blueberries, fresh or frozen with the 5 ½ oz sugar, 1 ¼ oz cornflour, 1 lemon and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon. If they are frozen, don't thaw them.
3 minStep 4: Roll one disc to line a 23 cm pie dish, tip in the filling, then cover with the second rolled disc. Trim, crimp the edges and cut 5 steam vents. Brush with 1 tbsp milk and scatter with 1 tbsp demerara sugar.
12 minStep 5: Bake on the hot tray for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350°F (325°F fan) and bake 40 minutes more, covering the edges with foil if they brown too fast.
60 minStep 6: It is done when the crust is deep golden and thick purple juice bubbles from the centre vents. A common mistake is cutting it warm; cool at least 3 hours so the filling sets.
180 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 55 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does maine wild blueberry pie take?
- About 100 minutes in total: 40 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
- What can I use instead of cold butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
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