Blueberry With Lavender & Cream Cheese Crumble Pie From Nicole Rucker
I first made this pie while visiting my friends in Savannah, Georgia. I was in a very well stocked kitchen that included numerous botanical ingredients for me to experiment with. I went for the tub of lavender sugar and a bottle of lavender hydrosol I found in the fridge. If you’re worried about the floral element in this recipe overpowering, never fear, the lavender adds a little special note behind the blueberries that boosts them up. The cream cheese lining the crust and in the crumble makes for a tangy and tender variation, and helps to protect the bottom crust from the super-juicy berries.
Photo by Alan Gastelum
INGREDIENTS
Makes one 9-inch pie
FOR THE FILLING
¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
2 teaspoons (2 grams) dried culinary lavender
1 teaspoon (3 grams) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
3 tablespoons (30 grams) cornstarch
1¾ pounds (794 grams) fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon (14 grams) lemon juice
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE CRUMBLE
1½ cups (187 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ cup packed (53 grams) light-brown sugar
¼ cup (50 grams) granulated sugar
½ teaspoon (1.5 grams) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
½ cup (113 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
4 tablespoons (57 grams) cold plain cream cheese
TO ASSEMBLE
Unbleached all-purpose flour for rolling the dough
½ recipe Fat + Flour Pie Dough (recipe below), made in advance and chilled
4 tablespoons (57 grams) plain cream cheese, at room temperature
METHOD
Make the filling: Add the sugar and lavender to a large mixing bowl, and use your fingers to rub the buds into the sugar and break them up. Add the salt, cornstarch, and half of the blueberries, and toss so all the fruit is coated. Place the remaining blueberries into the freezer. Let the coated fruit macerate for ½ hour. Transfer it and all its juices to a medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until the juices boil and thicken. Remove the cooked filling from the heat, and transfer it to a heatproof bowl. Add the frozen blueberries and lemon juice, and stir.
Make the crumble topping: Whisk the flour, sugars, and salt together in a medium mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and cream cheese, and mix with a fork until it resembles a buttery crumble. Some small chunks of cream cheese are OK.
Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Assemble the pie: Lightly flour a work surface. Remove the dough from the fridge, and remove the plastic. If your dough has been chilled overnight, it will need to temper before being rolled; this usually takes 10 to 15 minutes. Once the dough is pliable, roll the disc out to a 12-inch circle. Use flour throughout the rolling process as needed to prevent sticking. Transfer the rolled dough to a 9-inch pie plate, and trim the edge to allow 1 inch of dough to hang over the edge. Roll or fold the hanging edge of the dough over itself, using your thumb and forefinger to crimp the edge. Put the crimped crust into the freezer for 20 minutes.
Once the crust has chilled, smear the cream cheese onto the bottom of the pie crust, pour the filling over it, and add all the juices that may have collected in the bottom of the bowl. Scatter the crumble over the top.
Chill the whole pie in the freezer for 10 minutes, transfer it to the prepared baking sheet, then place the pie into your preheated oven, on the center rack, and bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices from the pie are boiling. This should take 1 full hour, and possibly longer. Cool the pie for 1 hour before eating, to allow the juices to settle and continue thickening. Store any leftovers in the fridge, and warm slices of the cold pie at 375°F (190°C) for 15 minutes before eating, for best results.
Fat + Flour Pie Dough
INGREDIENTS
Makes 2 portions of dough, enough for 2 single-crust pies or 1 double-crust pie
2 tablespoons packed (26 grams) dark-brown sugar
2 teaspoons (10 grams) apple-cider vinegar
1 teaspoon (3 grams) Diamond Crystal kosher salt
2 ounces (60 milliliters) cold water
2¾ cups (343 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour, + more for rolling
8 ounces (226 grams) cold unsalted butter, cubed
METHOD
In a measuring cup, combine the brown sugar, vinegar, salt, and water. Use a spoon to stir the mixture until the sugar and salt have dissolved. Chill the liquid in the freezer until it’s very cold but not frozen, and keep it in the fridge until you’re ready to use it.
In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the flour and cold butter on low speed until the mixture resembles uneven pebbles with a few larger pieces of butter throughout, about 2 to 4 minutes.
Slowly add the cold liquid to the bowl, with the mixer running on low speed. Continue mixing on low speed until a chunky, shaggy dough forms and no dry bits remain, about 30 seconds.
Lightly dust a counter or cutting board with flour. Turn the dough out onto the counter, and gently knead it a few times, to bring it together into a cohesive dough. Shape the dough into a rectangle about 6 by 8 inches. Lightly dust a rolling pin with flour. Position the dough with the short side facing you. While it is still pliable but cool, roll the dough out to an 8-by-12-inch rectangle.
Fold the bottom third of the dough two- thirds of the way toward the top. Fold the remaining third of the dough down, so that it is on top of the rest of the dough, like you would fold a letter.
Cut the dough down the center into two portions, each of them measuring about 4 by 4 inches.
Wrap each portion of dough well in plastic, and gently round the corners to form each into a somewhat circular shape. Chill the dough for a minimum of 1 hour. Once it has chilled, you can roll it out and use it in any pastry-crust pie or handpie recipe. Unbaked dough can be kept frozen for up to 3 months.
From FAT + FLOUR by Nicole Rucker. Excerpted by permission of Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Penguin Random House.
