AI-generated image
Lac-Saint-Jean blueberry pie
Tarte aux bleuets: deep double-crust pie of small wild blueberries
Around Lac-Saint-Jean in Quebec the low wild blueberries ripen in August, and the region is so proud of them that locals are nicknamed bleuets. Every church supper and roadside casse-croûte there sells a deep tarte aux bleuets with a flaky top crust and a dark, jammy filling that holds when sliced. Wild berries are smaller and more intense than cultivated ones and frozen wild berries work well. Serve slightly warm with vanilla ice cream or a jug of cream. A common mistake is skimping on the cornflour, which leaves a soupy filling. Chef's tip: let the pie cool for at least three hours so the juices set; cut it hot and the filling runs all over the plate.
- Total time
- 100 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the pastry
- 13 oz plain flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 8 oz cold unsalted butterdiced
- ½ cup iced water
For the filling
- 2 lb wild blueberriesfresh or frozen (not thawed)
- 5 ½ oz caster sugar
- 4 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
To finish
- 2 tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Mix 13 oz plain flour and 1 tsp salt, then rub in 8 oz cold unsalted butter with your fingertips until the pieces are the size of peas. Sprinkle over ½ cup iced water and press together lightly into a shaggy dough.
10 minStep 2: Divide into two discs, one slightly larger, wrap and chill for at least 1 hour so the butter firms up again.
60 minStep 3: Roll the larger disc on a floured surface to 3 mm and line a deep 23 cm pie dish, leaving the edge overhanging.
10 minStep 4: Toss 2 lb wild blueberries with 5 ½ oz caster sugar, 4 tbsp cornflour, 1 tbsp lemon juice and ¼ tsp ground cinnamon and pile into the pastry case.
5 minStep 5: Roll out the second disc, lay it over, trim, then fold and crimp the edges to seal. Cut four slits in the top. Brush with 2 tbsp milk and scatter with 1 tbsp granulated sugar. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan) with a baking tray inside.
10 minStep 6: Set the pie on the hot tray and bake for 20 minutes, then lower to 350°F (325°F fan) for 40 minutes more. It is done when the crust is deep golden and thick purple juice bubbles slowly through the slits; if the edges brown too fast, cover them with foil.
60 minStep 7: Cool on a rack for at least 3 hours before slicing.
180 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 410 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 4 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does lac-Saint-Jean 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.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- 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 unsalted butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Kartoshka cakeCocoa and cake crumb truffles
Soviet cafés and school canteens sold these knobbly brown 'potatoes' for a few kopecks, and they began as a thrifty way to use up sponge and biscuit trimmings at the bakery. Crumbs are bound with butter and sweetened condensed milk, flavoured with cocoa and vanilla, shaped into little potatoes, rolled in cocoa and finished with two dabs of pale butter cream for the sprouts. They are fudgy and dense like a brownie truffle, need no oven, and children love making them. Traditional bakers added a spoonful of rum, an optional extra for adult batches only; this version is alcohol-free with vanilla. The usual slip is coarse crumbs, which make the potatoes crack, so blitz them as fine as sand. Chef's tip: chill the shaped potatoes for at least 20 minutes so they hold their shape and slice cleanly.
Russian
Undu walaluFried urad dal rings in treacle
Walalu means bangles, and these dark, sticky rings of fried urad dal soaked in kithul treacle are a sweet that Sinhala families bring out for Avurudu and for special almsgivings, often made in large batches by an aunt known for her steady hand. A thick, fluffy paste of ground black gram is piped into loops and fried until crisp, then plunged straight into warm treacle, so the rings stay crunchy on the outside while drinking up the syrup. They taste a little like a darker, smokier jalebi, with a toffee finish from the palm treacle. Watery batter is what ruins them; it spreads into flat blobs, so grind the soaked dal with as little water as possible and beat it until light. This recipe uses no asafoetida, so it is naturally gluten free. Chef's tip: pipe the rings onto small squares of baking paper and lower them into the oil paper and all; the paper peels away in seconds.
Sri Lankan
Apple & pear puree
A smooth, naturally sweet puree of gently stewed apple and pear, one of the first foods for babies of 4–8 months. The fruit cooks in a little unsweetened apple juice, so nothing else is needed. Serve it lukewarm; any leftover keeps covered in the fridge for a day, or freezes well in small pots.