I’m greedy. Greedy like a fat fluffy-tailed squirrel. Especially when it comes to pie. One of the things I love most about summer is the abundance of berries. I take to the bushes like my spirit animal and take home bags of these sweet fruit. Some of them I turn into preserves. Some I freeze and save for fall crumbles. Some I turn straight into pie.
Here is my favorite blueberry pie recipe of the moment. Perfect for staining summer whites and best served orchestrated to the plnokety plonk of Thelonious’ Blue Monk in Newport, circa 1958. What I love most about it is the frangipane at the bottom. I hope you do too.
Ingredients:
half the pâte brisée recipe
600 grams (2 1/2 cups) fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained
100 (0.4 cups) grams ground almonds
100 grams (0.4 cups) sugar
2 egg whites
powdered sugar (icing sugar)
Method:
Put a baking tray in your oven and preheat to 400ºF/200ºC/gas6.
Roll your pâte brisée to fit a fluted tart dish approximately 10 inches in diameter. Trim the edges and save the pastry for decoration.
In a bowl, blend the almonds, sugar, and egg whites with a mixer.
Spoon the mixture into the base of the tin.
Now carefully tip the blueberries on top of the almond mixture and spread as evenly as possible.
Using your extra pastry, roll out a shape with your favorite cookie cutter. Place it in the center of your pie.
Spoon some powdered sugar into a sieve and sprinkle evenly over your pie.
Bake for about 30 minutes or until the edges of your pie are golden brown and your blueberries are starting to sink. Do not let them bake until they are mush.
Cool completely and serve with crème fraîche, Greek yogurt, or your favorite vanilla ice cream.
I am so with you when it comes to Summer and pie. Give me the berries and I’ll bake a pie. Your recipe, using frangipane as a base, sounds wonderful! I must try this. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
For me it has to be a frangipane base. I love all things almond. Speaking of which. . . there are these little Italian cookies that are almond based and have lemon zest in them. They’re shaped like beans. I forget what they’re called, but do you know what I’m talking about? If so, have you ever made them? I tried a few years back and they were an utter failure.
yum! Had my first slice of fruit pie of the season today (triple berry), then came home to read your post 🙂 Though my pie did NOT have frangipane as a base, so am very jealous 😉 Oh you are a wonderful baker!
You flatter me! I don’t know how wonderful of a baker I am so much as I bake out of necessity. Really, I’m a very greedy squirrel.
p.s. this pie was amazing served cold with hot coffee for breakfast this morning. I highly recommend it.
Such a delicious recipe. Blueberries seem to be like gold dust here – hard to find and expensive when found. I find this peculiar as myrtilles/blueberries appear in so many French recipe books and I always see tarte aux myrtilles in good patisseries. A mystery.
Sounds like the premise of a Pink Panther film. The Mystery of les Myrtilles Perdus.
That pastry squirrel on the top of the pie is the most adorable thing I’ve seen, like, all week. I just love it!! Did you manage to find a squirrel cookie cutter somewhere? Did you trace something or draw it freehand? I need to know. I’m fully planning on recruiting your talents for my next round of imaginary t-shirt design, now. You’ve been warned! 🙂
It’s a squirrel cookie cutter and I adore it. My artistic talents are that of a six year old who is good at drawing. I’m happy to help, but now consider yourself warned.
I am more than ok with that. Do you ever read Allie Bosch’s blog, hyberboyleandahalf? She uses drawings that about fit your description and they make the whole thing AMAZING.
No, but I will check it out. Thanks.
It’s hilarious and awesome and sad and amazing all at the same time – you’ll have to let me know what you think!
Who could resist a pie with a squirrel baked in? Definitely not me! This sounds like the perfect pie!
During summer months, it is my undoing.