Blueberry Pie beauty, as seen on Food Network's "The Kitchen", Season 34.
Recipe courtesy of Geoffrey Zakarian

Blueberry Pie

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  • Level: Easy
  • Total: 11 hr 35 min (includes resting, chilling and cooling times)
  • Active: 50 min
  • Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Blueberry pie is nostalgic and simple in appearance but requires enough effort that it always feels positively worthy of any special occasion. I really focused on the flavor in this recipe, so I opted for an all-butter crust and didn’t hold back on the cinnamon, vanilla and lemon zest in the filling. Each of those ingredients allows the blueberry taste to shine and creates the most mouthwatering, classic bite of blueberry pie you can imagine. After the pie is completely cool, I recommend giving it a couple of hours in the fridge. This allows the filling to set completely. You can then bring it back to room temperature and serve!

Ingredients

Crust:

Filling:

Directions

Special equipment:
a 9-inch pie pan
  1. For the crust: Cut the butter into rough 1/2-inch to 1-inch cubes. Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
  2. To make the dough in a food processor: In the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Pulse to combine. Add the cubes of butter and pulse a few times more, until the butter pieces are about the size of a blueberry.
  3. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, combine the milk and egg yolk. Add the mixture to the food processor and pulse a few times. If the mixture looks dry, add more milk 1 tablespoon at a time. I have added up to 3 tablespoons more of milk.
  4. To make the dough by hand: In a large bowl, combine the flour, granulated sugar and salt. Add the cold butter cubes and use a pastry cutter to combine with the flour until the butter pieces are about the size of blueberries. Add the milk and egg and stir until just combined, adding more milk as needed. The dough should just hold together when you pinch it between your hands.
  5. Once the dough has just come together, drop it onto a lightly floured surface and use your hands to form the dough and divide into 2 equal pieces.
  6. Form each half into a round that is about 1/2 inch thick and smooth the edges as much as possible; this will make rolling the dough out a bit easier later. Wrap each dough round in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. It can be frozen at this point and will last for up to 2 months.
  7. On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough into a 1/8-inch-thick round. You might find it helpful to let it sit out of the fridge for a few minutes to soften, depending on how long it has been chilling. Work quickly or the dough will begin to stick. Add more flour to your surface as needed.
  8. Using a rolling pin, lift the dough and center it into a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the edges and leave about a 1/2 inch of overhang. Place in the fridge to chill while you make the filling.
  9. For the filling: Position an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and place a baking sheet in the oven. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.
  10. In a large bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, flour, cornstarch, cinnamon and sea salt. Add the blueberries and toss them to coat fully in the sugar mixture. Add the honey, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Stir to combine. Put the filling in the prepared pie dish.
  11. Roll out the second disk into a 1/8-inch-thick round. Using your rolling pin, lift the crust and place it over the blueberry filling. Trim the edges and tuck them under the edges of the bottom crust. Use your fingers or a fork to crimp and seal the edges. Place the pie in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes.
  12. Remove the pie from the freezer. In a small bowl, whisk the egg and brush it on the top of the crust using a pastry brush. Sprinkle the top evenly with the turbinado sugar. Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. If the crust is already significantly browned at this point, use aluminum foil to tent the edges. Then, reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees F and bake until the filling is bubbling, and the crust is evenly browned, about 1 hour.
  13. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely, 6 to 8 hours. I recommend chilling the pie in the fridge for 2 more hours, then bringing the pie back to room temperature before serving with ice cream.