blueberries and cream pie

So I was totally on top of the fact that July is National Ice Cream Month. I mean, obviously. Ice cream is only one of my favorite foods. However, did you know July is also National Blueberry Month? Cha! I had no clue until yesterday. Yup, there are a mere five days left of July and I'm just now jumping on the blueberry month bandwagon. Goes to show where my food priorities lie.

I like blueberries all right. I mean, I eat them every now and then. But my mom and brother are blueberry freaks. My mom ALWAYS has a container of blueberries in the fridge. And my brother? Anytime he requests a specific baked good or dessert, nine times out of ten it's bound to be blueberry something. Lemon blueberry scones, blueberry muffins, even blueberry cookies. I suppose there are worse things to love...

So, since I have a couple blueberry-aholics on hand and blueberries are cheap and in season, I made this blueberry pie. I figured everyone else would like it, even if I wasn't in love with it. Blueberries plus custard plus streusel topping. I mean, that seems like a recipe for success. Plus, you all know my feelings toward streusel. You put streusel on a leather shoe and I'll eat a slice...or two.

The result: this is definitely one of my top three favorite pies ever. Who saw that coming? Not I. Guess I've finally embraced the blueberry. The secret? Put it in a pie crust and cover it in streusel. Devour. Contemplate how many antioxidants you are consuming to avoid thinking about the mass quantities of butter and sugar that are also involved. Enjoy. :)

Blueberries and Cream Pie

Ingredients:

1 pie crust, store-bought or homemade
1 large egg mixed with 1 Tbsp water (for egg wash)

Filling:
3 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup all purpose flour
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Crumb Topping:
2 1/2 Tbsp brown sugar
2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch ground nutmeg (about 1/16th tsp)
1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup plus 2 1/2 Tbsp all purpose flour

Directions:

Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Roll the dough into the pie plate (a 9-inch pie plate) and press it into the insides of the pie plate.
Crimp the edges of the pie or take a fork and crimp the edges.

Place the pie crust in the refrigerator while you work on the filling. In a bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, mix together the sugar and flour. Add in the sour cream, eggs and vanilla extract and mix until combined. Take the pie out of the refrigerator and put the blueberries on the bottom of the crust. Pour the filling over the blueberries and spread it out.

Now make the crumb topping. Mix together the sugar, brown sugar, ground cinnamon and ground nutmeg. Pour the melted unsalted butter into the bowl and mix everything together. Add in the flour and mix until the ingredients form a crumble topping. Crumble the crumb topping over the pie.

Mix together 1 large egg and a Tbsp of water and brush over the edge of the crust. Bake the pie at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes. Let the pie cool before cutting into slices.

Yield: one 9-inch pie

Source: Gingerbread Bagels