I was going to wait to post this pie. I made it this pie this weekend so that I could have a successful crust recipe to use for the Pie Party today. But I couldn’t keep this to myself.
Blondie & I went blueberry picking this weekend. I had wanted to make jam but we didn’t pick enough for jam. So, I did what any girl who needed to perfect a pie crust recipe and had extra blueberries would do, I planned to make a pie. I did more research. I needed a stick of butter per crust (top & bottom). I read that vodka helps make a tender crust. And that you need to bake your pie on a baking sheet so that the bottom cooks faster and doesn’t get mushy.
I also had to make this an exceptional pie. Plain blueberry pie is delicious. I’m sure blueberry and ginger go well together. But, I already used ginger and peach, I needed something different. In the cabinet I found almonds & almond paste! I was set.
I present to you Hidden Secret Pie!
| Blueberry Almond Pie |
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- 30 grams ground flax seeds
- 90 grams brown rice flour
- 90 grams sweet white sorghum flour
- 60 grams sweet rice flour
- 40 grams tapioca starch
- 40 grams corn starch
- 2 sticks butter, frozen
- 2 tablespoons vodka, ice cold
- 1/2 cup ice water
- 4 cups blueberries
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 8 oz almond paste
- Make the crust: Whisk together your flours for the crust in a large mixing bowl. Grate the frozen butter into the flours using a cheese grater or microplane. Using a pastry blender, make sure your flours and butter are well mixed. It should look like mildly clumpy sand. Add the vodka. Pour in the water a little at a time, mixing with a spatula. As soon as the dough starts to come together, stop mixing. Pat into 2 disks about 4″ in diameter, wrap in plastic and refrigerate for about 30 mins. Once chilled, roll out one of your disks of dough to about 1/4″ thick. Place in pie pan and smooth to corners. Trim over hang and crimp edges. Pop in the freezer while you do the next steps.
- Make the filling: Place a baking sheet on the middle rack in your oven & preheat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together blueberries, sliced almonds, sugar, salt and tapioca starch in a large bowl.
- Make the lattice: Roll out your second bit of pie crust and cut into thin strips or cookie cutter designs. Save extra crust to make pies in jars or pocket pies.
- Assemble the pie: Remove the pie shell from the freezer and pour in half the filling. Pinch out the almond paste into an 1/8″ disk that covers the filling. (You can piece it together from smaller pieces if it is easier – no one sees it). Pour in the rest of the filling on top. Place the top crust (lattice or design) on top of the pie. Crimp edges. You can add additional decorations with any leftover almond paste.
- Bake: Place on the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 35-45 minutes. The filling will bubble and the crust will be golden brown when the pie is ready. You can use an egg wash and sprinkle the crust with sugar when there is about 10 minutes of cooking time left, if you want. I didn’t do this. But you can.
You can substitute all the flours in the crust for 2 1/2 cups of an all purpose blend like Cup4Cup or Jules’ Nearly Normal Flour.