I originally printed this after seeing Tyler Florence make it on a Food TV show back in November 2002. I made the pie the following summer using blueberries and actually brought it all the way to Long Beach Island, NJ for a beach vacation with my sister. It was memorable and delicious!
I noted on the recipe “crust is very buttery -ooze factor- oozed over sides and sugar burned -careful- but TASTY!!!”
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, bleached
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tb sugar
2 sticks (1/2lb) butter, cubed and chilled
3 Tb vegetable shortening or vegetable oil
1/4 cup sour cream
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 egg yolk, beaten slightly
Combine dry ingredients in a chilled large stainless steel bowl. Cut in butter with pastry blender or 2 knives and incorporate the fat thoroughly into the flour to resemble coarse meal. Add shortening, sour cream and lemon juice, mix well and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. I’m thinking you could more easily do this in a food processor, pulsing minimally.
Grease and flour a 9-inch pie pan. Remove dough from refrigerator, divide mixture into 2 disks. Keep 1 disk in the refrigerator until ready for top crust. Roll dough out on a floured surface between waxed paper. Carefully transfer the bottom crust to the pie pan and trim the overhanging excess. Chill for 15 minutes to help set the dough in the pan. Brush the bottom with egg yolk to seal. Fill with your favorite fruit filling. (I chose blueberry.) Roll out remaining disk as you did for the bottom crust. Cover the pie with remaining dough (I cut into strips and made a lattice.) Seal and crimp the edge. Cut vents in the top crust.
Place pie on preheated baking sheet in bottom half of preheated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven to 350 degrees and continue to bake until juices bubble and crust is deep golden brown, 30 minutes longer.
Cool thoroughly on a rack, at least 4 hours.
I’m not sure this was the filling I used, nonetheless it looks good.
Blueberry Filling
6 cups (30 oz) fresh blueberries or frozen
1 granny smith apple peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
2 tsp grated zest and 2 tsp lemon juice
3/4 cup sugar
2 Tb instant tapioca, ground to a powder. If using tapioca pearls, measure 5 tsp. before grinding.
Pinch salt
2 Tb unsalted butter, cut into 1/4” pieces
Place 3 cups berries in a medium saucepan and set over medium heat. Using a potato masher, mash berries several times to reduce juices. Continue to cook, stirring frequently and mashing occasionally, until about half of berries have broken down and mixture is thickened and reduced to 1 1/2 cups, about 8 minutes. Let cool slightly.
If berries are frozen, cook half over medium high heat without mashing, until reduced to 1 1/4 cups, 12-15 minutes.
Place grated apple in cheesecloth or towel to wring dry. Transfer to a large bowl, add cooked berries, remaining uncooked berries, lemon zest, juice, sugar, tapioca and salt; toss to combine.
Transfer mixture to dough-lined pie plate and scatter butter pieces over filling.
