blueberry pie cornmeal crust

Blueberry season has just come to a close in Connecticut, and you better believe I took full advantage of the picking season. I was a little self-conscious about how many berries I picked, but honestly, once I’d thrown 6 cups into this blueberry pie with a cornmeal crust, I realized I could’ve gotten more. Next year!

If you missed blueberry season, though, I bet this pie would be awesome with a mixture of berries–including raspberries, which are still in season around here.

I actually made this pie during the first week of August, and apparently The New York Times and I were on the same page … with respect to pie, that is. I started planning this pie as soon as I got home from the orchard, and the first thing that stuck in my head was that this pie should have a cornmeal crust. All of the crust recipes I looked at, including the NYT one, called for a surprisingly small amount of cornmeal. I wanted this crust to have some crunch, so I made up my own version, and honestly, I think it’s pretty dang excellent. The rich, crunchy pastry perfectly balances the sweet and tangy filling.

 

5.0 from 2 reviews
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Blueberry Pie with Cornmeal Crust
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
 
Ingredients
  • 2 c flour
  • ½ c cornmeal
  • ¼ c powdered sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 c vegan butter, chilled
  • ¼ c shortening, chilled
  • 6 Tbsp ice water
  • 5-6 c fresh blueberries
  • ¾ c sugar
  • ¼ c cornstarch
  • 1 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • ⅛ tsp salt
  • 2 Tbsp vegan butter, cut into small pieces, optional
  • a tablespoon or two of vegan creamer, optional
  • sanding or turbinado sugar, optional
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. In a medium mixing bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, sugar and salt.
  3. Using a pastry cutter, cut in shortening and butter until pea-sized.*
  4. Sprinkle with 5-6 Tbsp ice water and stir until dough comes together in a ball, adding more ice water as needed. Use as little water as possible and handle the dough as little as possible, so as not to end up with a tough crust.
  5. Divide dough into two balls of equal size.
  6. Roll out one dough ball on a lightly floured surface.
  7. Transfer to a 9″ pie plate; trim and shape edges as desired.
  8. Place pie plate in freezer while you prepare the top crust.
  9. Prepare your top crust. Roll out second dough ball and transfer to a cookie sheet lined with lightly floured wax paper. You can leave it plain or slice it into strips to make a lattice. Whatever you choose, place the cookie sheet in your freezer to keep it cold while you prepare the filling.
  10. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon, and salt.
  11. Fill crust with berry mixture.
  12. Dot berries with butter if desired.
  13. Arrange top crust (or lattice) over filling. Crimp edges as desired to seal. If you're using a plain top crust, be sure to cut some vents into it!
  14. Brush crust with creamer and sprinkle with sugar, if desired.
  15. Bake for 10 minutes at 450°, then, without opening oven door, reduce heat to 350° and continue baking for another 45 minutes, or until crust is nicely browned and filling is bubbling.
  16. If you want neat slices, let pie cool fully before slicing... but it's also fantastic warm and messy with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Notes
Stick a cookie sheet on a rack below your pie plate to avoid dripping filling onto the bottom of your oven (and filling your kitchen with smoke!).
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