Blueberry Pie

     What home-made dessert can one make when roads are too icy for a store-run, one egg is too few to bake a cheesecake, and three apples are too few for a pie? I baked a blueberry pie using frozen blueberries! It was SCRUMPTIOUS for a December get-together, and maybe even somewhat healthy.

5-6 C of frozen blueberries (frozen blueberries have as much antioxidants as fresh. Keep a bag handy in the freezer)
1 C Sugar (add in 1/2-cup increments--refer to steps 2 & 4 below)
1/8 t salt
6 T Corn Starch
Unsalted butter
A squeeze of lemon (optional--I did not add)
1/2 t nutmeg (optional--I did not add, but spices allow you to decrease the amount of sugar)
1/8 t cinnamon (optional--I did not add, but cinnamon does improve sugar digestion)

Prepare a Martha Stewart Butter crust (recipe below), mixed in a food processor OR use a Pillsbury pie crust

1. Slowly heat blueberries in a pan until just thawed (use a very low heat) as you prepare the crust
2. When berries are thawed, gently stir in 1/2 cup of sugar to macerate berries for 5 minutes encouraging juices to extract a bit more (lest the filling will be too wet)
3. Drain berry juice into a small bowl. Don't waste this healthful juice. Strain the juice to use as an eye-popping blueberry paste for pie-slice dazzle (heat & add 1/2 packet of unflavored gelatin to thicken. Cool and pour into a recycled honey squeeze dispenser). *Note, if you don't first strain, berry clumps will annoyingly clog the dispenser!
4. Mix 1/2 cup of sugar, corn starch, and salt... gently stir into berries
5. Pour berry mixture into prepared (Martha's or Pillsbury) pie crust
6. Add a few dabs of butter
7. Top with lattice crust
8. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour 15 minutes

Serve topped with Cool Whip or ice cream. Artistically squeeze blueberry paste on either side of each pie slice for added (ridiculously frugal) WOW & YUM -factor.

Prep time 45 minutes.


Martha Stewart Butter Crust (makes 2 crusts)

2 1/2 C all-purpose flour
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp sugar
1 C (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1/4 to 1/2 C ice water

Place flour, salt, sugar, & butter in the bowl of a food processor for a few seconds until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 10 seconds. Add ice water in a slow, steady stream, pouring it through the feed tube just until the dough holds together. Do not process for more than 30 seconds.

Turn dough out onto a work surface. Divide into 2 equal pieces,  Wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out. While crust chills, prepare the apple filling.