As summer rolls to a close, it becomes very hard to say no to behemoth boxes of blueberries. Maybe it’s that old hibernation drive that makes moderation become such a foreign concept, but they’re so very economical and so very delicious! Who could say no? Now, I can manage to inhale my fair share of the blue delectables, but eventually the box gets pushed to the back of the fridge. A few days later, when my interest is re-piqued, the berries, thanks to the heat, have become a minefield of rotten berries mixed with still perfectly firm and succulent sister berries. Most people see the mould and immediately go for the garbage, but while these berries might no longer be picture perfect, I promise you they’ll still make a killer pie.
Blueberry cheese crumble
You will need… for the dough
– 1 cup of butter
– 2 cups white all purpose flour
– ½ cup of sugar
– 1 pinch of salt
– Rind of one lemon
– 1/8 cup cool water (if needed)
You will need… for the crumble
¾ cup flour
– ½ cup rolled oats
– 1 egg yoke (whisked)
– 1/3rd of the end dough
You will need…. for the filling
– 4 cups blueberries (roughly)
– ½ cup pressed cottage cheese
– I use Harmony Organic . Great product & great people.
– 2 tbs corn starch
– 1 tbs flour
– 1 tsp lemon juice
– ¼ cup brown sugar
– ¼ cup white sugar
You will need… from your kitchen
– 10 inch pie plate, 2 inches deep
– Tin foil
– A handful of rice
– Mixing bowls & implements
– Cling wrap
– Rolling pin
Let’s begin with the crust, since that will need to chill for a while after preparation.
THE DOUGH
1. Combine all the dry ingredients (flour, salt, sugar) into a homogenous white mass.
2. Add lemon rind to dry mixture. Mix well!
3. Cut butter up into about twelve small cubes and add to dry mix. Get your hands right in there and combine the butter with the dry mix until it manifests into dough. If you find the mixture is a bit too desiccate, i.e. you can’t get one the dough to combine together into a single mass, add a bit of water.
4. Separate the mass of dough into two balls. One ball of dough should be roughly 3/4 of the dough, the other 1/4. Roll both masses of dough into two seamless balls and place in cling wrap. Reserve in fridge for later. They should remain in the fridge at least 15 minutes.
THE FILLING
1. Go through the berries and pick-out all the moldy soldiers. Wash and repeat.
2. In a mixing bowl combine berries, cottage cheese, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, & flour. Gently mix with hands insuring everything is evenly distributed.
THE BOTTOM CRUST
1. Spread the cling wrap on the counter to cover an area equivalent to approximately one metre by a half metre. Sprinkle with flour.
2. Get out your chilled ball of dough (the larger one, the smaller can remain in the fridge) and place it in the centre of the cling wrap.
3. Roll out the dough into a circle with a diameter of approximately 13 inches.
4. Place the dough in the pie plate—the cling wrap should ease the transfer.
5. Fold the dough so that it is anchored over the lip of the pie plate.
6. Perforate the pie bottom with a fork.
7. Cover the pie with tin foil and weight down the fin foil with the rice. This is to reduce the likelihood of air bubbles.
8. Bake crust for 15 minutes at 357 F.
THE TOP CRUMBLE
1. In a mixing bowl combine the rolled oats, the remaining dough, and flour.
2. Crumble the dough into small pieces. Gently mix the ingredients into a mealy texture.
THE GREAT COMBINE
1. Place filling in pie crust
2. Cover the top of the pie with the crumble. Pat down LIGHTLY.
3. Paint the top with the egg for a future golden hue.
4. Place in oven at 375 F for 40 minutes. As always, every oven is a little different so use your judgment before digging in. When the blue berries are bubbling and oozing a dark purple jelly—that’s a good sign.
5. Let cool.
6. DIG ON IN.
andapinch 