Best Blueberry Pie Ever? Blueberry Crumble Pie

We had lots of visitors of the human, canine, and baby variety this weekend in Becket — the Sheehans (Amy, Colin and Lucy), the Fleckers (Kate, Evan, Duncan, and Sadie), and Danny, Rachel, and Maddie (woof!).  We had lots of fun, Angus had many playmates, and I think we all ate well.

Colin, Amy, and Lucy arrived in time for dinner on Friday.  We had grilled Asian salmon — again I made it with Sockeye Salmon which is so delicious.

Danny, Rachel, and little Maddie arrived in time for dessert.  I had baked this yummy blueberry crumble pie earlier in the day.  The pie was made with fresh wild blueberries from Becket, MA.  Danny said that this may have been the best blueberry pie he ever had.  At the very least, it was super delicious!!

I had a frozen pie crust in the freezer so I decided to use that.  What a time saver!  The crust was from the Vermont Mystic Pie Company.  This is definitely a higher-end (aka expensive) frozen pie crust.  I followed the recommendation on the box to bake it for a while with parchment paper and pie weights on top to ensure a crisp crust.

The filling couldn’t have been easier — blueberries, brown sugar, and flour.  The crumble was also very easier to make — cold butter, white sugar, brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt.  I don’t have a pastry blender so I just used a fork and my hands to make the crumble topping.  I didn’t have quite enough light brown sugar, so there was a touch of dark brown sugar in the topping.

Overall, a simple pie showcasing our delicious local berries!  Look for more recipes from the weekend shortly!

Blueberry Crumble Pie
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Baking, by Cathy Burgett, Elinor Klivans & Lou Seibert Pappas (Oxmoor House, 2003)

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400°F.

Roll out the dough and transfer to a 9-inch pie dish. Refrigerate until firm. Line the chilled piecrust with a piece of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Fill with dried beans, uncooked rice or pie weights. Bake until the crust dries out, about 15 minutes; to check, lift an edge of the foil. Carefully remove the weights and foil. Reduce the heat to 350°F. Continue to bake until the crust is lightly browned on the edges and dry-looking on the bottom, about 5 minutes more. Transfer the crust to a wire rack.

Increase the heat to 375°F.

In a large bowl, stir together the 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, the 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1 tsp. of the cinnamon and the salt. Scatter the butter pieces on top and toss with a fork or your fingers to coat with the flour mixture. Using your fingertips or a pastry blender, work the ingredients together until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs the size of large peas. Set the topping aside.

In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, the remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, the remaining 1 tsp. cinnamon and 4 Tbs. of the flour. Stir gently to coat the blueberries evenly. Sprinkle the remaining 1 Tbs. flour and the 1 Tbs. granulated sugar over the bottom of the prebaked crust. Pour the filling into the crust, spreading it evenly.

Sprinkle the topping evenly over the blueberry filling. Bake the pie until the topping is golden brown and the blueberry filling just begins to bubble, 50 to 60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.

Serve at room temperature. The pie is best served the day it is baked.

Makes one 9-inch pie.