adapted from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook
For the dough
All-purpose flour - 2 1/2 cups
Salt - 1 teaspoon
Unsolted cold butter, cut into small pieces - 1 1/2 sticks (170 g)
Ice water - 1/4 cup
Cold vodka 1/4 cup
For the filling
Fresh Blueberries, picked over - 6 cups (about 3 pints)
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Cornstarch - 1/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tablespoon
Cream - 1 tablespoon
- In the bowl of a food processeor, combine flour and salt.
- Add the butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some larger pieces remaining, about 10 seconds.
- To mix by hand, combine dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl, then cut the butter with a pastry blender.
- With the processor running, add the ice water in a slow steady stream, then add vodka just until the dough holds together.
- To do by hand, mix with a spatula and add water and vodka.
- Test by squeezing a small amount of dough together, it should hold.
- Turn the dough onto a work surface. Divide in half and wrap each half in plastic wrap.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or overnight. The dough can be frozen for up to 1 month.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll out one half of dough into a 12 inch round.
- Fit dough into a 9 inch pie plate, predding it into the edges. Trim the edges.
- Chill the pie plate for about 30 minutes.
- Place the blueberries in a large bowl.
- With your hands, crush about 1/2 cup of the berries, mix.
- Add the sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice and mix.
- Spoon the mixture into chilled pie shell.
- Roll out the other half of the dough and using a small cookie cutter cut stars.
- Place the stars on top of the filling with the tips touching.
- Brush the stars with cream.
- Refrigerate the pie for another 30 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 400F.
- Bake the pie for about 20 minutes.
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350F and bake the pie for another 40-50 minutes until the crust is deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool.
- The pie can be kept at room temperature, loosely covered with plastic wrap, for up to 2 days.
Comments
- Scrap pieces of dough can be sprinkled with cheese and herbs and baked for about 30 minutes along with the pie. They'll be come amazing crackers to snack on.
