A very talented baker, my grandmother Nannie used to sell her pies and pound cakes every week in Mississippi and always had something amazing for us to try when we visited. There would always be a lemon-glazed, faintly coconut-flavored pound cake waiting in the Tupperware carrier on top of the fridge and a chilled blueberry pie in the fridge.
Eating this blueberry pie has been as natural to my family as breathing. It’s not super-sweet, it stains everything in sight, and it must be served cold. I use a little less sugar and add more blueberries in my version, but everything else is the same.
Basic Piecrust Dough (page 227)
¼ cup all-purpose flour
3 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries
¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon cane sugar, divided
1 teaspoon iodized sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed
Prepare the Basic Pie Crust Dough, cover, and set it in the fridge to rest. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl sift the flour over the berries and add ¾ cup sugar, salt, and lemon juice. Mix gently.
Use a silicone brush to coat an 8-inch pie pan with 1 tablespoon of melted butter. Roll one pie crust loosely around a rolling pin and then unroll it into the pie pan. Pour the blueberry mixture into the bottom crust and then dot the mixture with small cubes of butter before using the rolling-pin method again to add the top crust. Fold the edges of the top crust under the bottom crust, and use your knuckle to crimp the edges. Use a silicone brush to brush the remaining 1 tablespoon of melted butter on the top crust of the pie. Cut 5 slits in the top crust, and sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar over the top. Bake at 450 degrees F. for 10 minutes, and then lower the temperature to 350 degrees F. for 40 minutes. Let it cool, and then refrigerate it for 3 hours or overnight before cutting a slice.
Makes 6 servings.