Really Easy Blueberry Pie

I have been loving blueberries this season, so I jumped at the chance to make a blueberry pie for my family's Memorial Day BBQ. I read about this really simple technique to make blueberry pie where you do the filling all on the stove and you blind bake the crust. It makes the whole process much easier and takes the guesswork out of knowing if you've baked the filling long enough. Here is how I made my pie:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 recipe ASB Basics Pâte Brisée (Pie dough), blind baked (see notes at bottom)

• 7 – 8 Six oz packages organic blueberries, divided

• 1/2 cup – 1 cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of your berries (I used 3/4 cup)

• 4 tablespoons cornstarch

• 1/4 cup water

• 2 lemons

• 1–1/2 tbsp butter

• Pinch of salt

Method:

1. In a large sauce pan, combine 4 cups of washed blueberries with the sugar, cornstarch, water, and salt.

2. Heat over medium heat until it comes to a boil. Stir constantly and cook 2-3 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, stir in 4 more cups of washed blueberries, butter, juice of 1-2 lemons (to taste), and the zest of 2 lemons. Stir until the butter is mostly melted.

4. Let the filling cool slightly, and pour into the baked pie shell.

5. Let sit several hours to set.

Note on the pie dough: I used half of my ASB basics recipe. You can either halve the recipe or make the normal amount and freeze the other half for later use. It's nice to have pie dough in the freezer because it stays good for months and it's quite easy to whip up a pie if you've already made the dough. This was not a par-bake, so I found that it took quite a long time to get the color and doneness that I wanted. I baked the dough at 425° F for at least 25 minutes with the pie weights in, and another 20 minutes or so with them out at 375° F. If you think the edges are getting too brown, use a pie shield or foil to cover them in the oven. After taking the pie weights out, but before the second bake, I brushed the rim of the crust with egg yolk mixed with cream. After the crust was completely done to my liking, lightly golden brown, I brushed the bottom with egg white mixed with sugar, and baked it 3 more minutes. This acts as a seal, keeping the filling from making the crust soggy. This is a good tutorial on blind baking if you don't know how.