Blueberry lattice pie

 

Who can say no to a berry pie? I know I can’t –  especially once I take a whiff of that intoxicating aroma while it is still in the oven.

I love the summer berry season and even in tropical Singapore, you start to find fresher and cheaper berries everywhere during this period.  I love berries – all of them.

Making this blueberry pie on a warm afternoon whisked me back to my summer in Hokkaido where I spent a glorious afternoon picking blueberries (and cherries) in a farm in Sobetsu.

I remember thinking to myself then, how perfect it would be if I could go berry picking in the morning and return to my kitchen to bake a beautiful berry pie, and then have it while it’s still warm with a cup of iced tea.

This blueberry pie is made with that moment in mind.

The pie is made with a simple shortcrust pastry that is short and crumby. As with all pastry dough, the key is to work it as little as possible. Pastry dough is the one thing that I always make by hand, never by machine (though you can if you want to).

I’ve added a touch of lavender to the blueberries for the hint of lavender flavour. You can omit that if you don’t like lavender or if you are going for a cleaner flavour. The blueberries will begin to stew and break down in its own juices when baked resulting in a deliciously, gooey, sweet, deep indigo-coloured, delicious mess.

You can choose to make a lattice top for the pie – or not. I find that pies just have that rustic beauty when they come served with a lattice top. I’ve included a link below with a pictorial guide on how to do the lattice top easily.

Do find some time to make and enjoy a blueberry pie while berries are still around. Otherwise, you know that there will always be the next summer (or frozen berries).

x,
Jo

 

 

Recipe: Blueberry lattice pie
Makes 2 x 6″ pies (about 1 inch thick)

Recipe makes more shortcrust pastry than you need. Store away the remaining dough in your fridge for one week or in your freezer for one month. Alternatively, you can halve the shortcrust pastry recipe.

Ingredients:
Shortcrust pastry (for the pie dough):
400 g All-purpose flour
24g (or 2 tbsp) granulated sugar
1 tsp salt
220g firm unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
1 large egg, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tbsp iced cold water (Add if necessary)

Blueberry filling:
400g fresh blueberries
70g granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp dried culinary lavender
1 tbsp cornflour
2 tbsp almond meal

Egg wash:
1 egg
pinch of salt

Method:
1. Prepare the shortcrust pastry: In a large bowl, place flour, sugar, salt and whisk. Add in cubed butter.
2. Using your finger tips, rub the butter and the dry ingredients until it resembles breadcrumbs or coarse cornmeal.
3. Lightly whisk your egg with vanilla extract. Add in your egg mixture into your bowl.
4. Using your hands, combine the ingredients together. Add in 1-2tbsp of cold water (only if the dough still looks dry). Do not add more water than needed as this will make the dough tough.
5. The dough should come together. At this point, stop kneading. Split the dough into half and shape into flat discs before wrapping them up in cling wrap and chilling them down before using.
6. The pastry dough should be chilled down and rested for at least 1/2 hour or 1 hr if you can afford more time.
7. Assembling the pie: Roll the pastry dough on a lightly floured surface into a rough circular shape, about 3mm in thickness.
8. Measure and cut the dough to about 1/2 -1 inch larger than the diameter of your pie dish. Transfer the dough onto the pie dish. Allow the pie pastry to rest in the fridge while you prepare the blueberry filling.
9. To make the lattice top: Roll out dough to a little larger than your pie dish, about 3mm thick. Using a ruler and paring knife (or even a pizza cutter), cut even strips (depending on how thick you want your lattice strips to be.). Refer to this link for how to make a lattice top.
10. Spoon 1 tbsp of almond meal onto each of lined tins before you spoon in the blueberry filling. Place the lattice top onto your pie and crimp the sides down to seal, using a fork or your fingers. To make egg wash, whisk egg and salt together then use a pastry brush to egg wash the lattice strips and sides of the pastry before baking.
11. Bake in a 180 degrees celcius preheated oven for about 30 -35 mins until the blueberry filling is starts bubbling) and the pastry is golden brown. Allow pies to cool slightly before transferring them out of their tins.
12. To serve: Sieve some icing sugar over the pie and serve it with whipped cream, creme fraiche or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

*This blueberry pie is best eaten on the same day that it is made. After which, the blueberry filling will start to soften the pastry.

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