Raw Blueberry Pie & the world's best all-butter pie crust!

The next time you come across perfectly plump fresh blueberries, do yourself the biggest favour in the world and buy 2 pints. And then go home and make this pie!
It's a game changer.
Seriously.
Especially when it's paired with this incredibly flaky pie crust.

What makes this pie so revolutionary, is that the berries aren't baked, which allows them to retain their integrity, their peak freshness and juiciness.

For those keeping score, this is not strictly a "raw" pie. The crust is baked. And a small fraction of the berries are cooked on the stove top to create a jam of sorts that holds the rest of the raw berries together.
It's unbelievably good. And I guarantee that you'll be making it over and over again once you try it.

Read on for the recipe...

Raw Blueberry Pie
(Filling adapted from Rose Levy Beranbaum's recipe / pie crust via Bon Appétit)

Ingredients:

1 baked pie shell *See recipe below for the world's best all-butter pie crust

4 cups fresh blueberries (rinsed and dried)
1/2 cup water + 2 Tbsp water (divided)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 tsp lemon juice (and, optionally, 3/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest)
pinch of salt

To make the filling:

1. separate out 1 cup of blueberries (choose the softest ones) and put them in a sauce pan with 1/2 cup of water. Cover and bring to a boil, then lower heat and stir frequently (uncovered) until the berries begin to burst and thicken (about 4 minutes).
2. In a small bowl whisk the cornstarch with 2 Tbsp of water. Add this to the cooked berries, with the lemon juice, sugar and salt. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes (until mixture becomes translucent), then remove it from the heat and gently fold in the remaining 3 cups of raw berries.
3. Gently pour the filling into a baked pie shell. Allow the pie to sit at room temperature for at least 2 hours to set, before slicing into it.

(You can use any fresh berries in this recipe, or do a mixed berry version as shown above)

***

Best Ever All-Butter Pie Crust

(makes enough dough for 2 pie shells, or one double crust pie)

Adapted from Bon Appétit's Master Pie Crust recipe (June 2014)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups pastry flour or all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 cup (2 sticks) + 2 Tbsp chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp iced water

1. Mix flour, sugar & salt in a large bowl.  Add chilled butter pieces and toss to coat in flour. Using your fingers, rub/squish the butter into the flour to create irregular shaped flakes of dough. Work quickly and aggressively until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. If the butter is getting too warm, switch to a pastry cutter (or use two butter knives in criss cross pattern). You basically just want to smash-combine all the butter into the flour.
2. In a small bowl mix 3 Tbsp. ice water and the vinegar. Drizzle over the flour mixture, and run your fingers through it to combine. Then knead the dough gently until it comes together. You can do this in the bowl or on a lightly floured surface.
3. Divide the dough in half and form 2 equal sized disks (about 1 inch thick). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill for at least 30 minutes. Or you can freeze the dough at this point for future use.
4. Remove dough from fridge and roll out the dough until it is a 1/8 inch (3mm) thick circle. Transfer the dough to a standard sized pie dish and fold under (or trim) excess dough around the edges. Cover loosely and refrigerate until ready to bake.
5. Preheat oven to 425 F. 
6. Line the pastry with parchment paper and fill it with pie weights (or dried rice or beans). Bake for 20 minutes, then carefully lift out the parchment paper & pie weights. Prick the bottom of the crust with a fork a few times, and return it to the oven. Bake another 5-10 minutes until the crust is lightly golden. Allow the baked crust to cool a few minutes before pouring in the filling.