Blueberry Crumble Pie

Blueberry Crumble Pie. One of my husband’s and my favorite desserts is a Blueberry Crumble. I don’t normally make whole pies unless we are having guests since there are only two of us. The baked blueberry crumble dessert can be made in individual ramekins so it’s a good option for us. However, our 21st wedding anniversary was a very special occasion (aren’t all anniversaries?) so I decided to make a whole pie to celebrate. This recipe is adapted from one that was created by a favorite aunt and it’s about time I posted it for your enjoyment as well.

slice of blueberry crumble pie — A heavenly slice of Blueberry Crumble Pie (Photo Credit: Adroit Ideals)

Making pie crusts is simple yet I tend to purchase frozen pre-formed pie crusts for certain recipes. For a fancy fruit tart with pastry cream filling or maybe a savory mushroom goat cheese tart, I will make pate sucree or pate brisee doughs from scratch. But for a heavier pie filling, I like to use the frozen pre-formed crusts and that’s what I use in this recipe.

whole grain frozen pie shells — Whole Grain frozen pie shells (Image Courtesy: Instacart)

We always have frozen organic blueberries on hand in our freezer. They’re great to throw into smoothies or drop onto pancake batter as it’s cooking on the griddle. In the summer, I buy a lot of fresh organic blueberries and then freeze them for use later in the year. You can also buy organic frozen blueberries in bulk at your local grocery store.

frozen wild blueberries — Whole Foods Market 365 brand frozen organic wild blueberries (Image Courtesy: amazon.com)

This blueberry crumble pie recipe is pretty simple. Just mix some blueberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a sauce pan. Bring it to a boil over medium heat. Then add a solution of some of the blueberry juice from the pan, some cornstarch, and some water to the blueberry mixture and whisk or stir until the blueberry mixture thickens. Then make the crumble topping from brown sugar, flour, and chilled unsalted butter cubes. Pour the blueberry mixture into a thawed pie shell, sprinkle on some grated nutmeg and powdered cinnamon, spoon on the crumble topping, and then add some blanched slivered almonds on top. Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for about 40 minutes. Let cool a bit, cut into wedges, and serve.

We like to eat our pie plain without garnishes except maybe some fresh mint leaves from the garden. You are free to add a scoop of your favorite ice cream or sorbet. Both lemon sorbet and vanilla ice cream go nicely with this pie. If you want to go totally “berrylicious,” you can add some blueberry ice cream or sorbet!

Enjoy!!

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From the kitchen of A Food Lover’s Delight….

Blueberry Crumble Pie

Ingredients:

1 frozen whole grain or traditional pie shell
4 c blueberries (fresh or frozen)
2⁄3 – 3/4 c sugar depending on sweetness of berries
1⁄4 c freshly squeezed lemon juice
1⁄4 c water
1⁄3 c cornstarch
1 c packed brown sugar
1 c all-purpose white flour
1 c unsalted butter (2 sticks), chilled, cut into small pieces
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/3 c blanched slivered almonds
Powdered sugar, to garnish (optional)

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Take the frozen pie crust out of the freezer and let it sit on the countertop in its pan to thaw a bit.
3. In a large sauce pan, mix together blueberries, sugar and lemon juice.
4. Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently so blueberry mixture doesn’t burn.
5. Mix the cornstarch with the water.
6. Add a bit of the blueberry juice from the sauce pan to the cornstarch mixture, stirring well.
7. Carefully, whisk or stir cornstarch mixture into the blueberry mixture so it doesn’t clump up, stirring constantly until it thickens.
8. Remove the thickened blueberry filling from the heat and set aside.
9. Using a fork, poke some holes in the bottom of the thawed pie crust shell.
10. In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, add the brown sugar and flour to start the crumble topping. Pulse the food processor a few times until the brown sugar and flour are combined.
11. Add the butter pieces to the flour mixture and pulse the food processor on and off until you see pea-sized pieces of the mixture. Don’t run the food processor too long or the butter will melt in the crumble topping.
12. Pour the blueberry mixture into the pie crust.
13. Sprinkle the nutmeg and cinnamon evenly over the blueberry filling.
14. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly over the blueberry filling.
15. Sprinkle the almonds evenly over the crumble topping.
16. Bake the pie at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes or until the filling is bubbling and the pie crust edges have browned nicely.
17. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool prior to serving.
18. Cut the pie into wedges, place the wedges on serving plates, dust them with powdered sugar and serve.

Makes one blueberry crumble pie for 6 – 8 hungry diners. Offer with your favorite ice cream or sorbet for a delicious dessert. Sprinkle with powdered sugar for a fancy presentation.

Variations: Use your favorite berries instead of blueberries. Make your own pie crust or use your favorite frozen crust. Use chopped walnuts or pecans instead of the almonds. Or substitute some rolled oats for the nuts.

Order a “blueberry” pie dish from Amazon.com: