Well there really are no birds in my pie but instead it’s filled with some of last year’s delicious blueberries. These pies put a big dent in the last bag of berries just in time for this year’s blueberry season to start. It’s taken me a long time to find a blueberry pie recipe I’m happy with and this one is almost there. I may try it with a bit less sugar next time.

Crust:

6 ounces (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon sugar

3/8 teaspoon table salt

4 ounces (8 tablespoons) European butter (American butter has too much water, trust me, this makes a huge difference in the crust)

3-4 tablespoons ice water

Whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into cubes and toss into the flour mixture. Now rub it between your thumb and fingers so that the butter forms big flakes. Once the butter is fairly well worked in sprinkle over 3 tablespoons of the ice water and start working the dough into a ball. If it is still crumbly add just enough water to bring it together. Chill 2-4 hours then roll out and line pie pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill overnight. Dock well with a fork before adding the filling and baking.

For the filling:

1 quart blueberries

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup flour

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

Toss together all filling ingredients except butter and transfer to the pie pan. Dot with butter and bake at 375 F 60 minutes or until filling is bubbly all the way to the center of the pie. (If you use frozen berries this takes quite a bit longer so shield the exposed pie crust).