In honor of the July 4th weekend I made a classic blueberry pie with a patriotic theme. Blueberry pie just happens to be my husband’s favorite dessert so I know he’s looking forward to this. I modified the Blueberry Pie recipe from The Silver Palate cookbook, by omitting the cinnamon, but other than that, I followed it. I made enough pie crust for a bottom and top layer but I only wanted stars on top of the pie. I knew that I would have left over pastry dough and I wanted to elevate the pie a little by giving it a braided edge. I had never attempted it before and I was nervous about breaking the “strands” while I was braiding the dough, so I took my time and handled everything very delicately. Getting the braided edges to meet nicely was a little challenging, but it ended up working out fine. Below is the recipe and step-by-step photos. It doesn’t get anymore American than a luscious pie brimming with blueberries – we add a generous scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side. Yum!

Classic Blueberry Pie Recipe adapted from The Silver Palate Cookbook:

Pastry Dough:

2 & 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) of sweet (unsalted) butter, cold and cut into small pieces

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted margarine, cold and cut into small pieces

4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

To make the pastry, mix all dry ingredients and with a pastry blender, blend in butter and margarine until the pastry resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Drizzle in the ice water a little at a time until the pastry forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes. While the pastry is chilling, you can make the pie filling below.

Filling:

2 quarts fresh blueberries

Grated zest of one lemon

1/2 cup of sugar

1/2 cup of water

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Combine blueberries, lemon zest, cornstarch and lemon juice and mix well. Transfer to a small saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble. Preheat oven to 350°. Roll out half the dough 1/8 inch thick on a lightly floured surface. Line a 9-inch pie plate with the dough. Trim the edges. Pour the blueberry filling into the pie shell. I made a long roll with the remaining dough and rolled it out 1/8 inch thick and then cut into strips to make the braid. I braided the dough and then arranged the braid on the edge of the pie plate (I used a little water on the edge of the dough to make the braided dough stick). With the remaining dough, I rolled it out and cut stars and placed on top. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 45 minutes. Serve at room temperature.