Dreamy Blueberry Pie

I take my fruit pies very seriously. Ever since years ago, I made my first apple pie American style and fell in love, I have been trying out so many recipes for what I believe must be the USA’s greatest export.

It is why, when asked for a dessert “with a lot of fruit” recently for a birthday, I couldn’t think of anything better than a pie bursting with fruit, perfumes with lemon, adorned with a scoop of home made vanilla ice cream (and that recipe will come soon, I promise).

Blueberries are pretty much the last berries to be found at this time of year and are just the perfect filling as they are not too sweet and, when baked, release the most delicious juices. I like to use a mix of fresh and frozen, as wild blueberries (which are often only to be found in frozen form) have a deeper flavour and release more of those heavenly juices.

The crust, as well as the filling, are enriched with butter and lemon, two elements that will bring this pie over the top, as it should be.

Trust me please and make your own shortcrust pastry, this will make a huge difference to the end product. It also allows you to use the highest quality ingredients when it comes to butter and eggs, as well as add that sprinkle of lemon zest which is oh so important.

It can be even made a day in advance and chilled, ready for rolling and filling. Not to mention, this recipe will go well with any fruit filling you may think of so it’s amazing to keep in your repertoire. It also freezes beautifully, should you wish to make a double batch.

So without further ado, let’s get to it.

Ingredients (makes a 26cm pie, serves about 6 people generously)

For the crust

• 300g plain flour

• 2 tbsp light brown sugar

• pinch of salt

• 190g butter, very cold, cubed

• 1 egg, beaten (make sure it’s from the fridge)

• 1 extra egg, beaten, to glaze, sprinkle of light brown sugar

For the filling

• 500g fresh blueberries

• 300g frozen wild blueberries

• 135g light brown sugar

• 30g plain flour

• 14g cornstarch

• 30ml (2 tbsp) lemon juice

• 1 tsp lemon zest

• 14g (1 tbsp) cold butter, cut into small cubes