Blueberry Pie with Cornmeal Crust #recipe from Molly MacRae

In June I shared a recipe for a cornmeal pie crust. It was the first time I’d made that crust. While not flakey, the slightly nutty flavor and crunch of the cornmeal was revelatory. It added an extra dimension to the spinach and cheddar quiche I baked in it, and I immediately dreamed of fruit pies baked in cornmeal crusts. Blueberries were on sale recently so that’s where I started. How did the pie turn out? It might have been prettier if I’d brushed the top crust with an egg wash and then sprinkled it with raw sugar. As for flavor and mouthfeel? Wonderful!

 

Blueberry Pie with a Cornmeal Crust

(Filling adapted from the 1997 edition of Joy of Cooking)

 

Ingredients

5 cups blueberries

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/8 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Pie dough for a double crust or lattice top pie. You’ll find the recipe for a single crust cornmeal pie crust here. For this blueberry pie I doubled the recipe, leaving out the paprika and white pepper, and adding a teaspoon of sugar.

 

Directions

Roll out half the dough in a circle large enough to fit into a 9”-inch pie pan with a 3/4-inch overhang (about 13 inches). Refrigerate. Roll out the other half of the dough for the top crust (about 12 inches) and refrigerate.

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 425 degrees F.

Combine blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and salt and let stand 15 minutes (no longer – according to Joy of Cooking, this is a case where more is not better).

Pour mixture into bottom crust. Dot with butter. Brush the bottom crust’s overhang with cold water. Cover with the top crust or lattice. Seal, trim if necessary, and crimp or flute. If using a top crust, cut three or four steam vents.

Bake for 30 minutes. Slip a baking sheet underneath the pie, reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F, and bake until thick juices bubble through the vents, 25 to 30 minutes more. Let cool completely on a rack before slicing. Pie can be stored at room temperature.

 

  

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Twitter  or Instagram.