8/31/15

{ Grandma's Blueberry Pie }



The best part of summer vacation, since I can remember, is our annual trip up to Ludington, MI. This sweet little city on Lake Michigan is home to the two most loving, kind-hearted people I know - my Grandma and Grandpa. It's also home to the most stunning scenery, cutest chipmunks, and biggest blueberries I've ever laid eyes on. 

All in all, it's my happy place.

To give you a little taste of what summer in Ludington is like, here's my Grandma's famous blueberry pie recipe and a video tutorial to go with - starring the lovely lady herself. And below, a few snaps from this year's trip. Isn't Michigan just beautiful?


Grandma's Blueberry Pie

Yields 1 pie, with top & bottom crusts.

INGREDIENTS

for the filling...
1 cup sugar
a dash of salt
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tbsp. lemon juice
4 tbsp. instant tapioca
6 cups fresh blueberries
8 small pats of butter
sugar, for sprinkling

for the crust...
2 cups flour
2/3 cup butter
5-7 tbsp. cold water
1 tsp. salt


DIRECTIONS

1. Combine 6 cups of washed, fresh blueberries with sugar, salt, cinnamon, lemon juice, and instant tapioca. Mix together lightly and set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, add flour and butter. Cut the butter and flour together with two knives, or a pastry cutter. Continue until the mixture resembles small peas (watch the video above for guidance.)

3. Into the butter and flour, add in salt and cold water. Use your hands to pack the mixture together until it forms a dough. Divide the dough into two separate balls (one will be the top crust and one will be the bottom crust.)

4. Generously flour a clean surface, and roll out one of the dough balls to the size of your pie pan. Place the rolled out crust into the bottom of the pie pan and fill with the blueberry mixture. Top the filling with 8 small pats of butter, for a richer & more decadent filling.

5. Roll out the last dough ball and carefully lay it onto the top of the filling. Sprinkle the crust lightly with sugar, if desired. Then, crimp the edges and make a few slits in the top so steam can release while baking. Cover the crimped edges of the crust with tinfoil and place into a preheated oven.

6. Bake the pie, at 375 degrees, for 20 minutes and then remove the tinfoil. Continue baking for another 40 minutes or so, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven and allow the pie to cool completely.

7. Serve warm and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.



enjoy*