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Dorothy’s Fresh Blueberry Pie Recipe

Dorothy's Fresh Blueberry Pie | ShockinglyDelicious.com

Everyone who eats this Fresh Blueberry Pie proclaims it the best blueberry pie they ever ate. Fresh berries are lightly sweetened and perfumed with lemon, vanilla and cinnamon in a filling that is done stovetop, and poured into a blind-baked crust. It’s genius! 

(This post was originally published June 28, 2010, and has been refreshed, updated and republished today.)

Sometime this summer, stop at the supermarket or farmer’s market and buy four pint boxes of fresh blueberries. They’re abundant in summer months, and the price goes down. Once you get them home, whip up the freshest, most delicious blueberry pie possible, using a method  shared by Camille Lesko, my former sister-in-law, who got it from Donna Lesko Weiss, her sister, who got it from her mother-in-law. These girls know how to bake pies, and I have been so lucky to be able to taste their delicious creations over the years!

I really do think the best recipes are those handed from one good home cook to another, with each adding her own special tweak to the process. Isn’t that the way great recipes are developed? I have tweaked this one just a bit, and by now have made it so many times, it is now one of my signature summer pies.

Most of the berries are used fresh and uncooked in this pie, so it retains a just-picked flavor. It also doesn’t fall apart like many baked blueberry pies. What’s more, it boasts a subtle perfumed flavor note that no one will likely guess.

Everyone who eats a piece wants the recipe, and proclaims it the best blueberry pie they ever ate.

Methinks they’re right.

Update: This pie was featured on chef Evan Kleiman’s KCRW “Good Food” blog [1]on Aug. 10, 2010! And even more, Evan baked this pie and brought it to an interview at KNBC Channel 4 in Los Angeles, and declared it “a genius pie! So delicious…easy to make and so pretty.” See the video [2].

Tips on how to make Fresh Blueberry Pie

  1. This is best made with fresh, not frozen, blueberries.
  2. A small portion of the berries are cooked stovetop with sugar, flavorings and thickener to make a sort of “glue,” into which more fresh uncooked berries are folded. Then the top is layered with more fresh, uncooked berries!
  3. Yes, it truly uses 5 cups of fresh blueberries. That seems like a lot, but it’s the perfect amount for this pie.
  4. A note on cooling the filling: A quick way to cool the filling before adding the rest of the blueberries is to fill a large salad-type bowl with ice and water. Partially submerge the bottom outside of the pan with the cooked blueberries in this cold bath, stirring the filling every once in awhile, and in 5 or so minutes it will be sufficiently cooled to continue with your recipe. You can also just set the pan on an unused burner while it cools off, but the cold water bath is much faster and lets you get your pie in the refrigerator more quickly if time is important.
  5. You can serve it plain, with whipped cream dolloped on top, or vanilla ice cream frozen yogurt alongside. Simply dust with powdered sugar, for a professionally pretty yet simple solution. 

Dorothy's Fresh Blueberry Pie [3]

Dorothy’s Fresh Blueberry Pie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Yield: Serves 6-8

Dorothy’s Fresh Blueberry Pie

Fresh Blueberry Pie is lightly sweetened and perfumed with lemon, vanilla & cinnamon in a filling cooked stovetop and poured into a blind-baked crust. It's genius!

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 2/3 cup water
  • 5 cups fresh blueberries, divided use (see bold in recipe directions)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons butter (not margarine)
  • 2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest (yellow only, not white part)
  • 10-inch pie crust, blind baked and cooled

Directions

  1. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and cinnamon. Blend in water and 1 1/2 cups blueberries. Bring to a boil, stirring and smashing half the berries deliberately (use a potato masher a few swipes if you like). Boil, stirring constantly, until mixture is very thick, a minute or so. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla extract, butter, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cool. (A note on cooling the filling: A quick way to cool the filling before adding the rest of the blueberries is to fill a large salad-type bowl with ice and water. Partially submerge the bottom outside of the pan with the cooked blueberries in this cold bath, stirring every once in awhile, and in 5 or so minutes it will be sufficiently cooled to continue with your recipe. You can also just set the pan on an unused burner while it cools off, but the cold water bath is much faster and lets you get your pie in the refrigerator more quickly if time is important.)
  2. Fold in 2 1/2 cups blueberries, coating them well. Scoop into cooled baked pie shell. Arrange remaining 1 cup of fresh berries over top. Cover with plastic wrap and chill at least 2 hours, or overnight if needed.
  3. Serve plain, or with whipped cream, vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt. To serve, remove pie from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Sift powdered sugar over top for pretty.
  4. Serves 8.

Notes

Recipe source: My tweak of a recipe by Camille Lesko and Donna Lesko. Thanks to both of them for sharing their recipe so many years ago.They are seriously great cooks. If you get invited to their homes for a meal, the answer is always, “Yes!” And if they bring something to a potluck, head over to that dish first. Just sayin.’

Note on cooling the filling: A quick way to cool the filling before adding the rest of the blueberries is to fill a large salad-type bowl with ice and water. Partially submerge the pan with the cooked blueberries in this cold bath, stirring every once in awhile, and in 5 or so minutes it will be sufficiently cooled to continue with your recipe. You can also just set the pan on an unused burner while it cools off, but the cold water bath is much faster and lets you get your pie in the refrigerator more quickly if time is important.

https://www.shockinglydelicious.com/dorothys-fresh-blueberry-pie-recipe/ [5]

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Young girl shows off a whole Fresh Blueberry Pie on ShockinglyDelicious.com

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