This post may contain affiliate links, please see my disclosure policy for details.

Maine Wild Blueberry Pie

This is hands down the very best blueberry pie recipe I've ever used. The secret is fresh wild Maine blueberries and a gorgeously flaky crust.

I've been baking blueberry pies for years. We've been fortunate that my father-in-law was living in Maine and had a field of wild blueberries, so he would always stop on his way from Maine to Florida for the winter and drop off blueberries for us.

Now that we live in Maine ourselves, I've already baked three blueberry pies in the six short weeks we've been here! So I thought it was high time to share my recipe.


There is nothing like a Maine wild blueberry. Smaller than the high bush variety you normally buy fresh in the grocery store, Maine wild blueberries are sweeter and more flavorful. They grow low to the ground instead of on bushes.


And they're just perfect for muffins, breads, and of course, pies. You can often find them frozen in the super market if you're not lucky enough to live in Maine. And fresh or frozen, you can use them either way in your pie.

My favorite blueberry pie recipe is one I adapted from the July 2009 issue of the Family Circle magazine. I've tried lots of recipes over the years, but this one I think is the best and consistently turns out perfectly. 

After my father in law shared his family recipe with me (and I realized how close it was to the Family Circle recipe, I started to wonder just how "old" his family recipe was!).

But he did share some secrets with me that I decided to share with you as well. 

Oftentimes, baking is more than an ingredient list, it's about the technique as well. One thing that I find does make a big difference when making berry pies, it making a lattice top. The open weave has plenty of space to allow the moisture from the berries to escape so your pie doesn't end up runny.


Lattice tops are really easy to do, they just look complicated, but they are wonderful to help the steam vent from your pie so your pie doesn't turn out runny, so I highly recommend the lattice top crust.



Maine Wild Blueberry Pie


1 recipe Pate Brisee pie dough (this recipe is from Martha Stewart. It's super easy and makes a wonderfully light and flaky crust)

2 pints (4 cups) Maine wild blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/3 cup white sugar, plus 1 teaspoon reserved
1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
Zest from one lime
Juice from one lime
1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour


Vanilla ice cream, optional (here's my recipe for homemade vanilla bean ice cream)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position the oven rack in the bottom 1/3 of the oven. With a wooden spoon or spatula, gently mix the blueberries, 1/3 cup white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cardamom, zest and juice in a large bowl.

Roll out bottom crust and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the flour over the crust. Pour the filling into the pie plate, then roll out the top crust and cut into 1/2" wide strips with a pastry wheel, pizza cutter or sharp knife.

Weave the strips into a lattice top for the pie, trimming and crimping the edges. Brush the crust with water, then sprinkle with the reserved teaspoon of sugar.

Cover the edges of the crust with foil and bake the pie for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees, remove the foil and continue to bake for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

Let the pie cool slightly to set, then serve with ice cream if desired.

(scroll down for printable recipe)











Maine Wild Blueberry Pie


Yield: One pie
Author:
Wild Maine blueberries are small and sweet and perfect for pies!

ingredients:

  • 1 recipe Pate Brisee pie dough*
  • 2 pints (4 cups) blueberries, fresh or frozen
  • 1/3 cup white sugar, plus 1 teaspoon reserved
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup cornstarch
  • 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
  • Zest from one lime
  • Juice from one lime
  • 1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
  • Vanilla ice cream, optional

instructions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees and position the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven. With a wooden spoon or spatula, gently mix the blueberries, 1/3 cup white sugar, brown sugar, cornstarch, cardamom, zest and juice in a large bowl.
  2. Roll out bottom crust and fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Sprinkle the flour over the crust. Pour the filling into the pie plate, then roll out the top crust and cut into 1/2" wide strips with a pastry wheel, pizza cutter or sharp knife. 
  3. Weave the strips into a lattice top for the pie, trimming and crimping the edges. 
  4. Brush the crust with water, then sprinkle with the reserved teaspoon of sugar.
  5. Cover the edges of the crust with foil and bake the pie for 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees, remove the foil and continue to bake for 45-50 minutes, until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.
  6. Let the pie cool slightly to set, then serve with ice cream if desired.

NOTES:

*the Pate Brisee recipe I use if from Martha Stewart. It's super easy and makes a wonderfully light and flaky crust.
Created using The Recipes Generator

Pin This!

©2015 by Fresh Eggs Daily, Inc. All rights reserved.