Given the success of the Strawberry Lime Crostata I made earlier, I decided to follow the author's suggestion and make a blueberry - lemon version. Midge on Food52 said she "cooked half my blueberries (2c) with a little cornstarch and sugar and mixed them in with fresh ones, à la classic double-good blueberry pie recipe, to firm up filling".
Never having heard of a "double-good blueberry pie recipe", I did some research and then created the following. For breakfast, lunch or dinner, this was simply yummy.
Blueberry Lemon Crostata
Tart Crust (makes 2)
2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon sea salt
2 teaspoons sugar
1 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into uniformed-sized cubes
1 large egg yolk
3 tablespoons heavy cream, divided
small glass ice water
1 tablespoon sanding sugar, granulated sugar is fine if you don't have the fancy stuff on hand
Filling
4 cups blueberries, rinsed and divided
¾ cup sugar, depending on the sweetness of your berries
3 tablespoons cornstarch
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon lemon juice (some zest to taste)
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Tart Crust
- Place flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor and pulse to mix.
- Add butter to flour mixture. Process just until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, about 10 seconds.
- Whisk together egg yolk and 2 tablespoons of the cream and process into flour mixture briefly.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of ice water and piles just until the pastry begins to hold together, about 6 to 8 times. Add more water as needed. Do not let it form a ball.
- Transfer the pastry to waxed paper; form into two one inch-thick disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to four days. The recipe makes double the amount you need; freeze the other half or roll it out and cut it into strips for a lattice topping.
Filling
- Mix sugar and cornstarch in medium saucepan
- Add ¼ cup water and 2 cups of blueberries. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the mixture is thick (it will be quite thick), clear, and boiling.
- Remove from heat, add lemon juice (optional zest), and cool.
Assembly and Cooking
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to about 1/8 inch-thick. Carefully fold the dough in half and then in quarters to transfer to a pie dish or parchment-lined sheet pan. - Place the remaining 2 cups of blueberries on or in the pastry. Top with the cooked blueberry mixture.
- Gently gather and fold the overhanging crust over the pie.
- Brush with the remaining tablespoon of cream and sprinkle generously with sugar.
- If you’re using a pie dish, stick a sheet pan underneath it to catch spills.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes until crust is golden and the filling is bubbling.
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