August 2008
Blueberry Treats
by Celia Cheng
BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE PIE
Rebecca Charles
Chef, Pearl Oyster Bar
Serves 8 to 10
This recipe is best served warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Crust
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ tablespoon salt
2 sticks cold butter, cut into tiny pieces
¼ cup ice water
Crumble
1½ cups flour
1 cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
1½ sticks sweet butter, cut into little pieces
Filling
3 pints blueberries, wild Maine if you can get them
1 cup sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch
½ teaspoon finely chopped lemon zest
pinch of freshly ground black pepper
To make the crust, combine the flour, salt, and cold butter in a food processor by pulsing until the mixture has the consistency of sand. Add the cold water, while pulsing, until the mixture comes together; don’t overwork it. (To mix the dough by hand, combine the flour, salt, and butter in a large bowl. Add the cold water and work by hand until the mixture comes together.) Remove the dough from the food processor or bowl and on a lightly floured counter or board shape it into a disk about ½-inch thick. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling it out.
To make the crumble, mix the flour and brown sugar in the food processor until thoroughly combined. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture forms a crumble (do not overwork the mixture). Refrigerate until you are ready to use it.
To make the fruit filling, in a large bowl mix all the ingredients well. I crush about 20 percent of the blueberries so the juice mixes with the cornstarch and thickens the filling.
To make the pie, preheat the oven to 350° F. Roll out the dough on a floured surface, place in a pie plate, and crimp the edges. Use a fork to poke holes around the sides and bottom of the crust. Cover with a piece of parchment paper and fill it with dried beans. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the crimped edges are firm. Remove the paper and beans and bake for 3 to 5 more minutes to firm the bottom. Fill crust with the berry mixture, spread out the mixture, and top the pie generously with the crumble. Bake for one hour or until the filling starts to bubble. Cool on a rack.
This recipe is from Lobster Rolls & Blueberry Pie: Three Generations of Stories and Recipes from Summers on the Coast of Maine.
