Autumn is for pies. OK, I guess specifically Thanksgiving seems to be for pies, but seeing it was Thanksgiving in Canada this week, I figure this pie counts. This Browned Butter Vanilla Bean Blueberry Pie is overly decadent. Browned butter lends a luscious, nutty taste. The vanilla bean, that rich undertone. The blueberries — have to be the small, tart, wild Maine variety — are sweet but tart. I made the exact same tart back in the summer, when fresh blueberries were at their peak, but made a follow up pie with frozen Maine blueberries and the result was equally as delicious.
Ingredients
for the pastry
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
14 tablespoons (1 3/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoon. fresh lemon juice
Pinch table salt
4 cups fresh or frozen wild maine blueberries (avoid large cultivated ones)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 vanilla bean
1 egg mixed with 2 tablespoons water, for egg wash
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using pulse function until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball; divide into 2 pieces. Flatten each into disk. Wrap each in plastic; chill 2 hours.
Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 400F. Mix together sugar, corn starch, and lemon juice in a medium bowl. Add blueberries and toss to blend.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan. Whisk the melted butter until brown specks appear at the bottom. Watch closely and be careful not to burn. It should be a medium brown color and have a nutty aroma. This should take about 5 minutes. Place brown butter in a large heat-proof bowl and whisk in an ice cube. Let cool for another few minutes, then split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape the paste into the browned butter.
Roll out 1 dough disk on floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter pie dish or tart pan. Fold edge under, forming high-standing rim; crimp. Add blueberry filling and then pour over the browned butter. Roll out the other dough disk and create a lattice crust, crimping to the bottom crust. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg with a tablespoon of water. Brush over the pie dough. Sprinkle with granulated sugar, if desired.
Place pie on a rimmed baking sheet (to catch any juices if the pie overflows) and place in oven and bake pie 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375F. Continue baking until juices bubble thickly between the top rounds and crust is deep golden, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly, about 1 hour. Let pie cool a minimum of 2 hours before cutting. This is important as the pie filling will be pretty loose. If you want to serve warm pie, reheat pieces individually.
