After picking three pounds of blueberries at a local farm we had to distract ourselves with something so as to avoid eating all the berries at once. Baking a blueberry pie seemed like a good distraction. Having picked the berries by hand, we had no choice but make the crust by hand, too.
Crust
The following recipe will produce two crusts (good for one covered pie or for two open ones). Start by chopping the butter into small pieces. Ideally, put the pieces in the freezer for 15+ minutes to make them easier to work with. Combine in a large bowl flour, salt, and sugar. Work into the mix the chilled butter pieces gradually. Knead the dough lightly as you add water a couple tablespoons at a time; stop when the crumbly dough sticks together. (Do not over-knead -- the butter pockets will help make flaky crust.) Divide into two discs, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll out the disks.
- 16 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 3-9 Tbsp cold water
Filling
To my surprise, no processing of the berries is required. Just pile them into your crust-lined pie plate (4 cups is more than enough for a 9-inch pie) and pour the mixture of sugar, salt, lemon juice, cornstarch, and -- the "secret ingredient" -- brandy over the berries:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 2 Tbsp brandy
- pinch of salt
Bake at 425F/220C for 40-50 minutes.