Fruit PiesGuest Userblueberries, pieComment

Deep-dish Blueberry Pie with Cream Biscuit Crust

Fruit PiesGuest Userblueberries, pieComment

There isn’t much difference between this pie and what we normally call a cobbler, except that this has much more fruit in relation to the crust. The blueberries have no thickeners added to mar their natural flavor and juiciness, so the filling is quite soupy.

Makes 1 large pie, about 8 servings

Cream Biscuit Crust

3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, slightly softened

1 1/3 cup half-and-half or light cream

 

Fruit Filling

4 pints blueberries, rinsed and picked over

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

 

Finishing and Serving

Light cream for brushing

1 to 2 teaspoons sugar

Whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving

  1. For the crust, place the flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter until fine and mealy. Do not allow the mixture to become pasty. Use a fork to stir in the cream—the dough will be very soft. Press the dough together on a floured surface, turn it over on itself several times to make it slightly more elastic, and wrap in plastic. Set aside.

  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F and set a rack in the lower third.

  3. Place the blueberries in a bowl and add all the remaining filling ingredients, except the butter. Toss well to combine and pour into a 10- to 12-cup gratin or other baking dish. Distribute pieces of the butter evenly on the filling.

  4. Press the dough out on a floured surface until it is roughly the size of the baking dish. Lift the dough onto the filling using a thin, flexible cookie sheet. Cut several vent holes in the top. Brush it with some cream and sprinkle it with the sugar.

  5. Bake the pie until the crust is deep golden and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 30 minutes. Cool slightly on a rack and serve warm or at room temperature.

  6. To serve the pie, use a large spoon to remove a portion of the biscuit crust onto a soup plate. Pour a couple of large spoonfuls of the filling next to it and add some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.