Ginger Spiced Blueberry Pie

A little taste of home

If you didn’t already know, I am a born and raised MAINER. Blueberries are my favorite fruit for baking, and I’ve been spoiled with the best blueberries in the world for most of my life. I currently live in California, but I wanted to recreate the magic of a classic Maine blueberry pie -- and show you guys how to recreate it too. This pie combines all the classic elements for the filling -- blueberries, lemons, and sugar -- with a special twist from cinnamon and cardamom, and the true star: freshly grated ginger! The result is a bright, zingy, and slightly spicy but sweet pie that is truly irresistible. 

This pie bakes up nice and sturdy due to a hefty amount of cornstarch (I used Preppy Kitchen’s recipe as a guide for the amount of thickener here) and does not need to be pre-cooked prior to filling. Simply mix your filling ingredients and dump into your pie crust! Speaking of pie crusts, I’m working on developing my ideal pie crust recipe, but for now I’d recommend Claire Saffitz’s as a great place to start. For the top crust, I decided to make a lattice that included two beautiful braided strands. I’ll include some helpful video links below so you can recreate it. 

To me, this blueberry pie is the platonic ideal of summer desserts. Serve it with vanilla ice cream, fresh whipped cream, or eat it straight out of the pie pan in the middle of the night (I have great experience with this). I hope you enjoy this little slice of Maine flavor!

Ingredients: 

• 2 pie crust discs, chilled, or 3 discs if braiding

• 2 pounds or 6 cups (900g) fresh blueberries

• ⅔ cup (133g) granulated sugar 

• 5 tablespoons (30g) cornstarch 

• 1 tablespoon lemon zest

• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

• ½  teaspoon kosher salt 

• 2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• ¼  teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1 egg, beaten

• 1 tablespoon water or milk

Directions: 

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and cornstarch. Mixing them first helps prevent clumping. Next, add in your blueberries as well as your lemon zest and juice, salt, grated ginger, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom and mix to combine. Set aside in the fridge. 

Preheat the oven to 425F. 

Roll out your bottom pie crust into a 13 inch round. Roll your bottom pie crust into your pie dish (I like using a metal pie dish instead of glass or ceramic as it conducts heat better), leaving about an inch of overhang. Pour in your blueberry filling and set the entire dish in the fridge. 

Roll out your second pie crust into a 13 inch round. For the braided strands, I actually used an additional pie crust as the braiding uses a lot of dough. Feel free to skip this and do a regular lattice, or just place another sheet of dough on top of the pan and cut a couple vents in the center to make it super easy. To braid, cut the disc into very thin (about a quarter of an inch) strips using a pizza cutter or sharp knife. I followed this tutorial exactly for the braiding (if you already know how to braid you can skip it) -- simply collect two strands on one side and pull the strand that is furthest away toward you, and repeat. When done, pinch together the ends and place in the fridge. For the lattice, use your third disc of pie crust and cut one inch strips, alternating every other strip with one of the braided strips (or regular strips if you’re not using braids). This video is a great guide if you’re new to forming lattices. 

Pinch the bottom and top crusts together to connect them, and either crimp the crust or use a fork to seal the crusts together. 

Beat an egg together with the tablespoon of milk, and brush the entire crust with egg wash. 

Place the pie on a sheet pan lined with aluminum foil to prevent any blueberry juice spillage into your oven. Place the baking sheet into the oven and bake at 425F for twenty minutes. Tent the crust (or the entire pie, if you notice it browning too quickly)with foil if it starts to brown quickly. Reduce the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 45 minutes. 

Allow the pie to cool for about 4 to 6 hours (I know, impossible) before cutting in to it to ensure clean slices. Serve and enjoy!