When I went grocery shopping last week, blueberries were on sale 2 lbs for $5. They are never anywhere near that cheap, so I bought 4 lbs! I figured I would make a pie with them. I also wanted to use the egg yolks to make a lemon pie, so I decided to try combining the two types of pie. The two pies cook differently, so it took me some time to decide how to go about it. Luckily, my hunches were right, and the pie came out absolutely perfect and delicious!
With a blueberry pie, you can cook the crust and the blueberries all together, but with a lemon pie, you have to blind-bake the crust. Also, the lemon pie cooks for 30 minutes at 300, but the blueberry pie cooks for 20 minutes at 425 and then 30-40 more minutes at 350! So, I decided to blind bake the crust, partially pre-cook the blueberries, and then assemble the pie and bake it at the specifications for the lemon pie.
Blueberry-Lemon Pie
The Crust
Instructions taken from Sally's Baking Addiction
(the crust needs to chill for at least 1 hour, and up to 48 hours. I made my crust the day before)
(this recipe makes enough for a top and bottom crust, so you will have some leftover, perhaps for some mini blueberry pies)
2 cups all-purpose white flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
scant 1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp salt
8 oz cold unsalted butter
~1/2 cup cold water
Mix together the dry ingredients. Cut the butter into small pieces, then cut it into the dry ingredients with a pastry cutter. When the mixture is crumbly and the butter pieces are as small as you can get them (I always think "pea sized"), add the cold water, a bit at a time. Keep mixing until the dough comes together. Divide the dough into 1/3 and 2/3 portions, wrap each portion in plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator.
Once sufficiently chilled, roll out the 2/3 portion to fit into a 9 inch pie plate. Crimp the edges, and cut off any extra dough. Place a piece of parchment paper into the pie crust and fill with dry beans to help the crust hold its shape while baking. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes, then remove the parchment paper/beans and bake 7 more minutes (until the bottom is just beginning to brown).
The Lemon Filling
Recipe taken from Crazy for Crust
1 1/2 cup water
1 1/2 cup sugar
5 tbsp corn starch
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
4 large egg yolks
3 tbsp butter
Whisk together all ingredients except for the eggs and butter. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until thick and bubbly. Pour half of the lemon mixture into the egg yolks, whisk quickly to avoid scrambling, then add the lemon-egg mixture back into the rest of the lemon mixture. Bring to a gentle boil, cook 2 more minutes, then remove from heat and stir in butter until melted. Pour into the bottom of the pie crust.
Somehow, I ended up with NO scrambled egg in my lemon mixture! I'm going to credit that to the fact that Coby and I teamed up to mix the hot lemon mixture with the eggs so one of us could stir while the other was pouring, leaving no time for the eggs to sit still in the hot lemon mixture.
Somehow, I ended up with NO scrambled egg in my lemon mixture! I'm going to credit that to the fact that Coby and I teamed up to mix the hot lemon mixture with the eggs so one of us could stir while the other was pouring, leaving no time for the eggs to sit still in the hot lemon mixture.
The Blueberry Topping
Ingredient list aken from Simply Recipes and cut in half
3 cups fresh blueberries
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup sugar
dash of cinnamon
Place all ingredients in a saucepan and cook covered until the juice begins to come out of the blueberries. You will want to stir every minute or so to check on them. Then pour the blueberries over the lemon mixture.
Bake the pie at 300 degrees for 30 minutes.
Cool for 1 hour, then chill for 5 hours before enjoying!
