• Pie Crust
  • 2 1/2 cups King Arthur all-purpose unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
  • 1 cup salted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
  • 1 tablespoon sour cream
  • 4 to 5 tablespoons ice water
  • Blueberry Filling
  • 7 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup tapioca
  • 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • Zest of one large orange
  • Orange Glaze
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • Juice of one large orange

Every time I think of blueberries I am reminded of the time my son and I went for our evening bike ride around the 62-acre lake we lived by in the community of Biltmore Lake, North Carolina.  The mountains of Asheville are as majestic as they are beautiful and we were very blessed to live in the community of Biltmore Lake for five years.We kayaked, canoed, swam and enjoyed all of the amenities offered there.  The boys were the perfect age at the time as well.

As we often did after our evening family dinners, my son Nathaniel and I headed out for a bike ride around the lake. Nathaniel was waiting for me at the bottom of our driveway as I put on my helmet (always wear your helmet when on your bike) when a gentleman driving by yelled out of his window, “Look behind you! There’s a bear!”

Really? Is he serious?  I had noticed that the Indian corn on our front porch had been carried away by what I thought was a very strong squirrel several days before : – ) but never thought a BEAR had been responsible. Sure enough as I turned to look behind me, a BIG, BIG black bear was standing upright about two feet from me! In a panic, instead of backing away quietly, my nerves got the best of me, I began laughing hysterically. Well, if you’ve never heard my laugh you can listen to it here:

To our surprise that big old black bear got on all fours and ran away from me as fast as he could! Soon everyone in our community caught wind of  the story and I was forever dubbed as “the bear whisperer”. Ironically there was nothing quiet about my effect on this bear. Instead it was my hearty, high-pitched laugh that had him runnin’ in the other direction!

We quickly realized that the blueberry bushes that we thought were having trouble producing, were in fact producing just fine, for the black bear that is.

 

Best Blueberry Pie

Who in the world can resist a Homemade Blueberry Pie? Certainly not me!  Have you ever tried brushing your pies with an orange glaze?  I got this idea while making my Blueberry Syrup for our pancakes the other morning. I love blueberries and orange together; they are a perfect combination!  I also make an orange glaze for my scones and so I thought why not try it on a pie?  Boy, was it great!

The tip to a good pie is cooking it in a glass pie pan. I find the glass pie pan works the best. Your bottom crust will be as golden brown as your top crust.

Place the flour, salt, and sugar in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse to combine. Add pieces of very cold butter and pulse until coarse crumbs form.  Add the sour cream and give pulse.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of ice water over the mixture and pulse until dough comes off the sides. Add more ice water if needed, one tablespoon at a time. Divide the dough in half, shape each piece into a ball with your hands and flatten into a disk. Dust each half lightly with flour, wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 30 minutes before rolling out.

Make your filling while the crust is chilling by placing your beautiful fresh, plump blueberries in a large bowl. Add the sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and the very fragrant and flavorful orange zest and stir well. Could this get any better?  Excuse me for a moment while I get a napkin!

After thirty minutes or so, remove your pie crust from the frig and roll out the dough onto a lightly floured counter. Lightly dust the rolling pin and counter top with a little flour. Using one disk (half the recipe) roll the dough into a circle that measures 20 inches larger than the pie pan you are using. Lightly flour the top of the dough. Fold the dough in half, then in half again. Place the folded dough in the prepared pan and unfold. Trim the excess dough to half an inch and fold under around the edges.  Crimp the edges. Pour your blueberry mixture into your pie shell. Dot the center of your blueberry mixture with a little cold butter. Place second crust over top. Cut an X shape into your pie or some slits to let the air escape while baking.  This will also insure that you have a golden brown crust and not a soggy one.

Bake in a 400 degree oven on a baking sheet on the middle rack.  The baking sheet will protect your oven from any spills. Bake for 25 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and bake an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until the crust is a beautiful golden brown.  A common problem when baking pies is that the edges brown too quickly. You can buy a pretty pie crust shield, but aluminum foil around the edges works, too.

Make your glaze while your pie is baking by simply cooking in a small saucepan over medium low heat until sugar melts and the syrupy mixture is reduced by half.

When the pie is ready to be removed from the oven, pour the glaze over top and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Remove your pie, place on a wire rack to cool completely and then … enjoy

 

Once you try blueberries and orange together you’ll want more, so here’s more great recipes featuring blueberries and oranges!

Blueberry Orange and White Chocolate Pancakes

Blueberry Nut Bread

Maple Banana Blueberry Bread

Hearty Banana Blueberry Oat Bread

Blueberry Pancakes with an Outrageous Maple Butter Syrup