I didn’t grow up eating homemade pies.  However, I married a man who adores pie – strawberry rhubarb, cherry, blueberry and the occasional French Silk pie makes an appearance.  My mother-in-law, Barb, makes delicious homemade pies.   Every Thanksgiving we get the treat of pecan and pumpkin pies at our doorstep.

I am going to do my best to fashion a pie made with love that’s also healthy.  Although my 8-year old daughter, Samantha, wanted a chocolate pie, I went with a blueberry pie – you can’t go wrong with fruit (right?!). Not only do you get a punch of vitamin C, but the rich deep blueish-purple color in blueberries contains cell protecting antioxidants called anthocyanins.  Research has even shown that blueberries can enhance memory and control blood sugar, among many other health benefits.

To make today’s pie crust, I am using a mix (courtesty of King Authur Flour), but I added a bit of ground flax seeds to give it an extra nutrition boost of omega-3 fats and  fiber.  It’s simple to make, too – you just add cold butter and water to the flour mix and done!

Once you’ve got your dough crumbly, just add a 4 – 5 tablespoons of water to make it stick together.  It’s a fine line as you don’t want to be too dry to too wet.  So add a tablespoon at a time and mix the dough to combine.  Add more water until slowly is forms a cohesive dough.  Make into two rounded – one larger for the bottom and one smaller for the top, wrap and refrigerate (to allow it to rest) for at least 30 minutes.  Once it rests – you can roll it out on a countertop with a dusting of flour to stop if from sticking.  (Samantha loves helping me roll out dough).

Once you’ve got your crust tucked into a pie dish, the possibilities are endless – from savory nut, chicken or vegetables pies to sweet chocolate, berry or apple pies.  It’s all good eats!  Today, I am filling our Father’s Day pie with fresh blueberries, lemon juice, honey, a few sprigs of mint and a sprinkle of toasted coconut flakes.  For thickening, I added a bit of tapioca pearls, but you can use fruit pectin, arrow root or corn starch.

I got my hubby, Scott, involved in my pie love making!  He latticed the top of the pie so beautifully with a twisted crisscross.  Feel free to get creative with your crust top or make it open-faced.  Be sure to bake your pie long enough to allow the fruit to burst with flavor.  Bake at 375 degrees F for 50 – 60 minutes.  It should be bubbling when you take it out of the oven.  This way to natural juices will flow out making every bite succulent and flavor-filled.

Lemon Blueberry Pie

 Serves 8

Ingredients

1 box King Authur Flour Pie Crust Mix (or any mix or ready-made crust you prefer)

11 Tablespoons cold butter

4 – 5 tablespoons ice-cold water

1 heaping tablespoon ground flax seeds

4 cup fresh blueberries, rinsed

1/4 cup honey

1 medium lemon, juiced

3 sprigs fresh mint, coarsely chopped

2 Tablespoons flaked coconut

1/4 cup tapioca

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Make the crust by combining the flour mix with cold butter (cut the butter into the flour to make a crumbly mixture).  Add water slowly to allow the dough to come together.  Don’t be afraid to use your hands to knead the dough into a ball.  Flatten the dough into two small disk (one larger for the bottom, one smaller for the top).  Wrap with plastic wrap or a clean cloth and set in the fridge to rest for 30 minutes.

In the meantime, combine blueberries, honey, lemon juice, mint, coconut and tapioca. Mix well – allowing the tapioca to dissolve a bit.

Remove dough from fridge and let sit for 10 minutes to come to room temperature.  Roll out the dough disks with a rolling pin on a flour dusted countertop.  Lay the layer of dough on the bottom of the pie dish and fill with blueberry mixture.  Top the pie with other rolled out dough — any style you want.

Bake pie for 50 – 60 minutes.  Until crust is golden and blueberries are bubbling.  Remove from oven and let cool for a few minutes before serving.  Enjoy sharing some pie love today!

Enjoy eating simply,

–Vicki