The pop-in-your-mouth blast of favor from fresh blueberries is one of my favorite tastes of summer! It is also the best time to bake a seasonal classic, Cape Cod Blueberry Pie. The folks in Maine who cultivate the petite wild blueberry have been making this pie since the 18th century.
Some things are best enjoyed during their peak. Savor them for a short season then you can look forward to it annually. Yes, you can make this dessert in the middle of winter using “fresh” blueberries, but it’s like fresh tomatoes vs. store-bought flavorless hard as rocks tomatoes in January.
This is a delicious pie that is also simple to make and a great pie for a beginner baker!
I adapted this recipe from the Taste of Home website.
Ingredients:
6 cups fresh blueberries, divided
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon sea salt
1 cup water, divided
¾ cup sugar
½ teaspoon white vinegar
Pair the finished pie with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream if you want to go for all the gusto!
Mix up your go-to pie crust and roll out dough to fit a 9” pie plate. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line pie crust with a double thickness of foil and add pie weights or dried beans or rice. Bake on a lower oven rack for 20 -25 minutes or until edges are golden brown. Remove weights and foil and bake for 3-6 minutes longer or until bottom crust is a golden brown. Or forget the foil and weights, take a fork and gently dock (prick the entire surface of the pie crust with a fork leaving indentations) and bake for 20 -25 minutes. If pie crust puffs up, gently push back into place as it cools. This is an old school short-cut.
In a small bowl, mix flour, salt, and 1/3 cup water until smooth. In a large saucepan, combine ¾ cup sugar, 1 cup blueberries, and remaining 2/3 cup water. Bring to a boil. Stir in the flour mixture.
Return to a boil, continually stirring. Cook and stir 4-6 minutes or until thickened. I add 2 tablespoons of butter here as that is what my mama always did to enrich the sauce. Stir in vinegar or lemon juice. Gently stir in remaining blueberries then pour into crust. Chill for at least 4 hours to allow the filling to set. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
The reason why this pie has remained a classic is its ability to capture the best of a pie filling sweetness, and the fresh berry taste since most of the blueberries are not cooked. It is just delicious!
A suggestion for the sugar-free, low-carb, or gluten-free crowd: use a low-carb crust and substitute the sugar with an equal amount of a sugar replacement. Use arrowroot for the flour, and you’ve modified a classic recipe into something you can enjoy too!
Please try this pie for the best tasting blueberry treat ever! I hope this becomes a family favorite. Enjoy! Be blessed! Have fun today!
