Blueberry Jam Pie – Internet Pie Party 2012

It’s time for a Pie Party!

With 4th of July coming up, and being awash in blueberries right now, I decided to bake a blueberry pie. But not just any blueberry pie, oh no! A Blueberry Jam Pie.  Instead of the usual cornstarch thickener, I used several heaping tablespoons of Freakin’ Flamingo blueberry jam.  Since Freakin’ Flamingo uses only Pomona’s Universal Pectin, made only from citrus-derived pectin and no added sugars or fillers, it strengthens the natural pectin contained in the blueberries and citrus in the pie filling to thicken it naturally during cooking. For added insurance, you can refrigerate the pie after it’s completely cooled.

Blueberry Jam Pie (makes a 9” – 10” pie)

Sweet Pastry Crust (Pâte Sucrée):

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 8 Tbs. (1 stick) cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
• 3 Tbs. granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1 ½ Tbs. cold water

Preparation:

Place all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade and process till it comes together in a ball. This should take no more than about 20 seconds.

Scrape out the dough onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Press the dough together, using the plastic wrap, not your hands.  Press into a disc, wrap completely, and refrigerate.

Filling:

• 1 large lemon (or 2 small ones)
• 2 pints blueberries (about 4 cups)
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 heaping Tbs. any blueberry flavor of Freakin’ Flamingo jam

Glaze:

• 1 large egg, beaten with 1 tsp. water
• granulated sugar for sprinkling

Preparation:

Wash and dry the lemon(s).  Cut off the ends and discard.  Cut the lemon into thick slices, cut the slices in half (don’t forget to remove any seeds!), and pulse in food processor until finely chopped.

Put the chopped lemon, half the blueberries, and the sugar into a medium saucepan.  Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and allow to boil for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and mashing some of the blueberries with your spoon as you go.

Add the remaining blueberries, stir well, and allow to cook for another 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the blueberry jam and continue stirring until it’s fully incorporated, and set aside.

Assembling the Pie:

Preheat the oven to 375º F.

Roll out the chilled pastry dough on a well-floured surface to about 1/8” thick.  Gently fit the dough into a 9” or 10” pie plate and trim off the excess dough flush with the rim of the pie plate.  Fill the crust with the blueberry filling and put the pie plate back into the refrigerator, while making your cutouts with the scraps you just trimmed off.

Here, I used several different sizes of star cutters to make the crust edge and the décor.  Gather together the scraps remaining, re-roll and cut some more. You should have plenty of scrap dough to make all the cutouts you need. To attach the small stars to the crust edge, using a soft pastry brush, brush one side of each star with the egg glaze and press lightly into place.  The other stars can be placed randomly on top of the filling.

Brush the surface of each star with the egg glaze, then sprinkle with granulated sugar.  Bake for  40 – 50 minutes.

To help prevent overbrowning of the crust edge, place a sheet of parchment paper loosely over the top of the pie for the first 20 minutes of baking.

Cool completely before either storing or serving. You may want to refrigerate if making this ahead. Just cover it loosely with parchment paper or foil, first.

I like this particular crust for many sweet pies because it’s so forgiving.  Since it’s enriched with an egg and a bit more sugar, it remains pliable and very easy to roll out, even fresh from the refrigerator. Just remember to flour both the surface you’re rolling on, and the surface of the dough, very well.  If it does stick to the table/board/counter, take a straight-edged dough/bench scraper, and use it to push a bit of flour under the sticky spot. You may have to scrape a bit, but that’s okay.

Freakin’ Flamingo blueberry jams come in a variety of flavors, depending on my mood at any given moment, so you can change up your pie whenever you feel like it, too! If using Blueberry Mojito, just substitute limes for the lemons in the pie filling. If using Blueberry Cardamom, add a 1/2 teaspoon of ground cardamom to the filling. They add a surprising – and delicious – dimension of flavor to pies, muffins, quick breads, cupcakes, and more!

Any questions? I’m here for you!