Her publisher asked if she’d also do a book about strawberries. Graubart’s answer: “Absolutely. What’s more fun than two favorite berries?”
Cynthia Graubart’s new cookbook “Blueberry Love.” ©2021 Storey Publishing
Credit: Handout
Credit: Handout
There are 46 sweet and savory recipes in “Blueberry Love,” but Blue Ribbon Ginger-Lime Wild Maine Blueberry Pie is special. Graubart won first prize with it at the Blue Hill Fair in Maine in 2019. “It’s everything wonderful about blueberries,” she said, “all nestled in a flaky all-butter pie crust.”
Blue Ribbon Ginger-Lime Wild Maine Blueberry Pie
You can use any crust you’d like, including store-bought, but Graubart encourages trying this easy one below. “Return the dough to the refrigerator to chill down whenever you think things aren’t going the way they should,” she recommended, adding: “It is inevitable that blueberry juice will bubble up out of the slits in the dough. That is part of the charm of a blueberry pie.”
Blue-Ribbon Ginger Lime Wild Maine Blueberry Pie
- Filling:
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- zest of 1 lime
- ¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 5-6 cups fresh wild Maine blueberries
- Crust:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 8-10 tablespoons ice-cold water
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons decorating sugar or other large-grain sugar
- Make the filling: Use your fingers to rub the granulated sugar and lime zest together in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the brown sugar, cornstarch and ginger.
Place the blueberries in a large bowl and toss with the cornstarch mixture until the berries are evenly coated.
Set aside. - Make the crust:
Place the flour and salt in a food processor. Pulse two or three times to mix. Distribute the butter cubes evenly over the flour. Pulse 15 times. Add 4 tablespoons of the cold water. Pulse 10 times. Add 4 more tablespoons of cold water and pulse five times. Grab a pinch of dough and squeeze it together. If it crumbles, add 2 more tablespoons of water to bring the dough together with another pulse or two. Turn out the dough mixture onto a floured board. Knead slightly to form a cohesive dough. Divide the dough in half and form into two 5-inch disks, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. - Assemble the pie: Heat oven to 425.
Remove the crusts from the refrigerator and let rest for 10 minutes.
Dust a work surface and rolling pin with flour. - Roll out one disk by rolling from the center out to the edge, picking up the rolling pin and beginning in the center each time, and turning the dough a quarter turn after each roll, until the dough is roughly 1 inch larger than what will line the pie pan. Move the dough gently to the pie pan. Repeat the rolling process with the second disk.
- Fill the pie with the blueberry mixture and top with the second dough. Trim away excess dough and use it to make a decorative braid for the rim of the pie. Seal the dough edges with a dab of water and decorate as desired. Vent the top crust with at least four slits. Brush the top crust with the beaten egg. If this process has warmed up the pie crust, move the whole pie to the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, to firm up the dough.
- Transfer the pie to a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for 30 minutes longer. Sprinkle the pie with decorating sugar and bake for another 10 minutes, or until browned, as desired. Let it cool completely before cutting.
Makes one 9-inch pie
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 476 calories (percent of calories from fat, 45), 6 grams protein, 61 grams carbohydrates, 3 grams fiber, 24 grams total fat (15 grams saturated), 84 milligrams cholesterol, 314 milligrams sodium.
Excerpted from “Blueberry Love” by Cynthia Graubart. Used with permission from Storey Publishing.
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