The minute I perfected my blueberry pie, I texted my friend of many years, Carlee, to proclaim “Victory, at last!” The running joke between us, for the last 15 years or so, is that any pie that doesn’t turn out like pie is instantly declared a cobbler. As if that was always the intent. No one ever complains about pie / cobbler or cobbler / pie (or if they do, they probably don’t have many friends). As we all know, it tastes just as good in the end. But still . . .

It turns out there are a few secrets to crafting the perfect blueberry pie : more berries than any recipe I’ve used before, more cornstarch and flour, and more time in the oven. Plus — and this is important — almost never bake a blueberry pie the day you want to eat it. Torture, I know. When that blueberry goodness comes hot out of the oven, it’s tempting to cut and eat it right there. But wait. The cooling allows the juices to thicken and congeal and that’s what will hold the whole thing together in one piece.

I recently visited the Indigo Lavender Fields in Imlay City. I allowed my bunches of lavender to dry and incorporated some of it in the pie. A little goes a long way, so don’t overdo it. Just the right amount adds a sweet floral hint of summer that will linger just a tiny bit after every bite. If you’re not headed to the lavender fields any time soon, you can purchase culinary lavender at almost any grocery store.

Finally, I fell in love with this Nordicware Lattice & Hearts pie crust cutter and had to have it. I’ve used their apple / leaf cutter for my fall pies for many years. This one is equally beautiful. The trick to getting a clean cut is to roll your dough relatively thin (about 1⁄8″) and place it on the back of a half-sheet baking sheet in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes so that it’s very cold (but not frozen). Cut it on the back of the sheet to keep it cold and pull out the discard pieces there to keep its shape. Then, place it back in the fridge until you’re ready to lift it up onto your rolling pin and unroll it over your pie.

Lavender Vanilla Blueberry Pie

8 portions / Prep Time : 20 / Total Time 1:50

BLUEBERRY FILLING INGREDIENTS

• 9 cups blueberries, rinsed dried (best to do day before)
• juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tsp. zest of lemon
• ⅔ cup granulated sugar
• ¼ cup flour
• 6 tbsp. corn starch
• 1 tbsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ginger powder
• 1 tsp. culinary lavender
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 tsp. amaretto
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 3 tbsp. salted butter, cold

PIE CRUST INGREDIENTS

• 2 ½ cups flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, chilled and cubed
• ⅔ cup shortening, chilled and cubed
• ½ cup ice water

EQUIPMENT

• pie weights
• pie crust cutter (or knife to cut your own design)
• juicer
• grater / zester
• 9″ pie plate
• half baking sheet
• rolling pin
• aluminum foil or silicone pie crust protector
• parchment paper for parbaking crust

DIRECTIONS

1. Make pie crust according to recipe HERE. This can be made ahead.
2. Preheat oven to 425°.
3. Roll out pie crust top and bottom.
4. Place pie top on back of half baking sheet. Place in freezer for up to 20 minutes to chill (do not freeze completely).
5. In a 9″ pie pan, fit the bottom crust along along the bottom. Do not stretch the dough, rather fit it neatly into the corner and work upwards.
6. Pierce several places on bottom of crust with fork.
7. Fit well-crumpled parchment paper to cover dough.
8. Place pie weights over parchment paper, working beads upward to weight the sides of the dough.
9. Bake for 12-14 minutes. Do not allow crust to brown, just to begin to bake.
10. In a large bowl, mix berries, lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and amaretto.
11. In a smaller bowl, combine flour, sugar, corn starch, cinnamon, ginger, and lavender well.
12. Pour dry mixture over berries in thirds, mixing very well until no dry powder mixture remains.
13. Pour berry mixture into parbaked crust, spreading evenly and gently pressing down to fill gaps and level top to a mound.
14. Chop cold butter into ¼” cubes and place cubes throughout pie top.
15. Place pie top and crimp edges.
16. Place foil or pie crust protector over edges and top.
17. Bake at 425° for 25 minutes.
18. Turn oven temperature down to 350° and bake for another 25 minutes.
19. Remove pie crust covers (if using foil, drape at base of pie plate to catch juices) and bake for remaining 30 minutes at 350°.
20. Allow to cool completely, 5-7 hours. Best served next day with whipped cream or ice cream.