Maine Blueberry Pie

Maine is our spot. We vacationed there while dating, got married in the garden of the Bar Harbor Tides bed and breakfast overlooking Frenchman Bay in Bar Harbor, took our wedding photos throughout Acadia National Park, and went back to visit when I was pregnant with our first child. Sadly, the last visit was four years ago and various circumstances have prevented us from going back. But every year in the summer and fall we think about going back and hiking through Acadia and enjoying Maine wild blueberries, and if for some reason we won’t be able to go we say, “I miss Maine.”

Well, this is another year that we’re saying it. We’ve got a lot going on and our trip to Maine is postponed yet again. So we can only dream about Maine wild blueberries and the blueberry pancakes at Jordan’s Restaurant in Bar Harbor, or the fabulous blueberry pies you can get practically anywhere you go. Instead of mourning the loss of blueberry pie, I’ve decided to make my own, even though it won’t be quite the same as having a slice after a nice lobster dinner in Mid Coast or Downeast Maine. Michael loves blueberry pie, so this was a treat for him on Father’s Day. Since I’ve been unable to find fresh Maine blueberries around here, I bought some Wyman’s frozen Maine blueberries at my local warehouse club, and they worked very well.

I used the recipe on the back of the bag, which we thought turned out great. One note about thickening the filling. If you don’t have enough thickener, then the filling runs everywhere when you cut the pie. If you have too much thickener, the filling becomes a gelatinous, gooey clump. Definitely not appealing. The amount of flour and cornstarch in this filling recipe seems just right.

[Updated June 17, 2013.]

MAINE BLUEBERRY PIE

Adapted from the recipe on a bag of Wyman’s Frozen Maine Wild Blueberries.

Serves 8.

Equipment

food processor
medium glass bowl
large mixing bowl
medium bowl
mesh strainer
9-inch pie pan

Ingredients

9-inch double crust pie dough or double crust whole wheat pie dough
5 cups (~150 g) Wyman’s Frozen Wild Blueberries
3/4 cup (131 g) granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons strained blueberry juice

Preparation

1. Make the pie dough, rolling out a top and bottom crust. Place the bottom crust into the 9″ pie pan.

2. Preheat oven to 400° F/200° C and set rack in the lower third of the oven.

3. Combine sugar, flour, cornstarch, and cinnamon in separate bowl and set aside.

4. Put wild blueberries in a glass bowl and microwave on high to thaw, about 1 to 2 minutes. Put thawed berries into a mesh strainer and strain well, reserving 2 tablespoons of the liquid. This is important because too much liquid will render a soggy pie.

5. Combine dry ingredients and wild blueberries in large mixing bowl. Stir gently until mixture is well-blended while adding the strained juice.

6. Pour into the lined pie pan. Add the top layer and crimp the edges. Spritz edges and top with cold water. Sprinkle with sugar and cut three slits to vent the top crust.

7. Bake 40-50 minutes or until filling begins to bubble. Serve at room temperature.

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