Insomni-baking, Edition # (insert a random high number): Blueberry Basil Deep Dish Pie. Yup, I made a pie early this morning. Believe it or not, I really just made the pie because I needed to “get rid of” last year’s frozen Maine blueberries. It’s blueberry season again, and I am about to re-fill my freezer with this year’s crop when I realized that I still had 6-7 cups from last year. So I made this pie. And yes, I added basil to a blueberry pie. It gives it a really nice floral note … I don’t think that it is necessarily identifiable as basil, but it is very nice. Yum yum!
Ingredients
for the pastry
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 sticks chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
10-12 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
8-10 cups blueberries; fresh or frozen
1 cups brown sugar
juice from one lemon
1 tablespoon fresh basil, very finely chopped
3 tablespoons corn starch, mixed with 1/4 cup water
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon water
coarse sugar, for sprinkling
You will also need: a deep dish 10-inch pie plate/dish and if you are feeling creative, cookie cutters
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and pulse in until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 8 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by the teaspoonful if dough is dry. Gather into ball, then divide and flatten into two disks. Wrap in plastic and chill 2 hours.
While the dough is resting, make your filling as you pre-cook the blueberries and they must cool completely. This can also be done a day ahead of time. In a large sauce pan over medium heat, combine blueberries and sugar. Let come to a boil and let the sugar dissolve. The blueberries will also become soft and release much of their liquid. Whisk in the corn starch slurry and let come to a boil again to thicken. Once thickened, remove from the heat and add the lemon juice and chopped basil. Set aside to cool.
Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly spray you pie dish with baking spray.
On a lightly floured surface, roll out one of the two disks to fit the bottom on the dish. Place in pie plate, leaving some overhang. Trim any excess so you can use as decoration if you like. Dock the pastry with a fork a few times, all the way to the edges. Place the blueberry mixture into the pie crust, spreading it evenly. Roll out the second disk and place on top of the filling, sealing it to the other piece. Crimp and make a solid crust. Brush with egg wash.
This is where you can be creative. You can just leave the pie “as is”, cutting a few vent slits on the top. Or add some cookie-cutter cut outs of hearts or flowers or leaves. Or you can add some braids. Up to you. Whatever you do, if you add decoration, brush with more of the egg was and sprinkle on coarse sugar.
Place pie on a baking sheet (in case it should overflow) and bake pie for 25 minutes at 400F before lowering oven temperature to 350F. Bake for an additional 45-50 minutes, or until golden brown and the juices are bubbling (you should see this through your vents). If the top begins to darken too quickly, cover with aluminum foil to prevent additional browning. Cool pie for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving.
