Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Fresh Blueberry Pie

The old, worn sign with "Blueberries" scrawled across it is out, so I pull the car over and greet one of my favourite growers. 

"Freshly picked this morning," he says. His stained hands reveal this truth.


As I glance at the jewel-toned berries, recipes are running through my head. Sprinting, actually. 

Will they grace muffins? Crown a cake? Stud pancakes? Should I try a new recipe? Or just eat fresh by the handfuls?


I choose my baskets and hand over the few dollars that I trade for all this goodness. 


And then I decide, it shall be Auntie Dar's recipe for fresh blueberry pie today. It's simple and reveals the freshness of the perfect berries- all this, while maintaining the appearance of a true dessert.


It's a little too easy to make this one. And you may as well double the recipe at the height of blueberry season, it only comes once a year.


Fresh Blueberry Pie
You can make this with a store bought crust or homemade crust.  

1 pie crust, homemade or store bought, pre-baked and cooled
Fresh blueberries, washed and dried to fill pie shell (approximately 3-4 cups)  

Blueberry Glaze:
Auntie Dar's original recipe calls for 3/4 cup sugar, I've had to reduce sugar to 1/2 cup when I was running low on sugar and it works fine. I also try to source GMO-free or organic cornstarch when possible.

1 cup additional fresh or frozen blueberries

1/2 cup water
1/2- 3/4 cup sugar (or sweetener of choice)
2 tbsp cornstarch (or other thickener of choice)
2 tbsp lemon juice 
1. Combine blueberries and water in a small saucepan, bring to just boiling. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Strain through fine mesh sieve, pressing gently to extract juice (about 1/2 cup) into another small saucepan.(Reserve remaining blueberry pulp for smoothies or yogurt). 
2. Combine sugar and cornstarch; gradually add reserved juice and lemon juice. Cook, stirring constantly until thick and turns jewel-toned and glaze-like. Cool for several minutes, then add in fresh berries and gently stir to combine.
3. Pour berry mixture into pre-cooked pie shell or graham cracker crust. Refrigerate until set and cooled. Serve with lightly whipped cream or whipped coconut cream.