Blueberry Pie... The Perfect Breakfast Pie

This week my friend, BDP, and I were having a discussion about pie... seems to be what every person's world revolves around as Thanksgiving swiftly approaches. But our topic consisted of something entirely different... breakfast pie. Or more exactly, what pie would be the perfect breakfast pie? His answer? Blueberry. Straight up. Not apple. Not sausage. Blueberry. So while visiting him in Keene this weekend I decided I'd make him some blueberry pie... only it ended up being a partial fail.

First off, I used store-bought crust... which got super soggy during the baking. Second mistake? I didn't cook out the liquid from the frozen blueberries. (Hope the juice didn't stain the counter BDP. Oops.) But overall he says the pie came out pretty delicious. And it was eaten so it must've been passable...

The filling I used is actually from a blueberry jam recipe I worked on this summer, Blueberry Lemon Jam, which was absolutely amazing if I do say so myself! Except I had never cooked with frozen blueberries before, and honestly, I don't know if I ever will again. They're more of a hassle than a help.

So here's the recipe for the filling... and I suggest you use fresh over frozen. Overall, they just produce a better quality pie.


Blueberry Lemon Pie

Ingredients
6 c fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1/2 c sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1/8 tsp cinnamon (optional)
2-3 T cornstarch (if you're using frozen berries)

2 pie crusts

Tools
10-inch frying skillet
medium sized bowl
wooden spatula
apple corer or knife
9-inch pie plate
measuring cups and spoons


Directions

1. Place blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and lemon zest in the skillet on medium-low heat. Let it simmer down into a jam-like consistency. *If using frozen blueberries: After they defrost drain the juice into a medium sized bowl, take a little bit of the juice and mix it with the cornstarch. Add it to the blueberries in the pan as a thickener.

2. When the blueberries start to get thick, add the cinnamon, and continue cooking until the liquid coats the back of the spoon. Take off the heat and set aside to cool. *If you don't cool the filling the pie crust will melt, become soggy, or just create a weird looking mess when baked.

3. While waiting for the blueberry filling to cool prepare the bottom pie crust by pressing one dough disc into the bottom of the pie plate and then placing it back in the refrigerator to chill for about 20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

4. When filling is cool and dough is chilled, pour the filling into the bottom crust and carefully place the second dough disc on top. Trim the edges using a knife and either press the edges with a fork or flute the edges by pinching the dough between the index finger and thumb. Be sure to cut a vent in the pie using an apple corer or by cutting slits in the top with a knife.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes and then lower the heat to 350 degrees and bake for another 45 minutes. Remove from oven when the pie crust looks golden brown and place on a cooling rack.

This pie is super tasty with vanilla or cinnamon ice cream.