Blueberry Crumble Pie

I am a proud Irish American. Though I grew up mainly in Dublin I was born in the USA and spent lots of time there, in New Hampshire in particular. Growing up with an American mother means there are some gaps in my cultural experience of Ireland. What I’m saying is, I am team pie over team tart.

Pies are rustic, casual, unfussy, gooey, and most likely made with fantastic seasonal fruit. Tarts have too many rules. Blind baking the shell. Egg washing the shell. Making sure the pastry adheres correctly to the fluted edges. No thank you.

There is a group of Mennonites that live near my grandfather in New Hampshire that have got to be some of the best bakers on this planet. Their blueberry crumble pie is the stuff of legend. Dublin blueberries will never be as nice as New Hampshire ones but sometimes I crave it so badly I succumb and make it anyway – this recipe is a winner, regardless of where your berries grow. 

Ingredients

Pie Crust : 

280g plain flour

225g butter, very cold and cut into 1 cm cubes

10 tablespoons iced water

1 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons sugar

Filling :

100g caster sugar 

2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch 

zest of one lemon 

 500g fresh blueberries 

juice of half a lemon 

Crumble Topping : 

100g plain flour 

75g butter

100g soft dark brown sugar 

50g oats

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Make the pie crust first. Put the flour, salt and sugar into a large bowl, whisk to combine and remove lumps. Put the butter into the mix, make sure each piece is coated in flour then use your hands to incorporate. Rub the pieces quickly between your thumbs and fingers. Keep going until you have a mixture resembling wet sand, with some larger pea- sized pieces of butter remaining. Make a hole in the middle and add the iced water, spoonful by spoonful, gently mixing with your fingers between each addition. You don’t want the mix to be wet, but when you squeeze it together in your hands it should stay together. Tip the dough onto a clean surface and knead two or three times to combine. Divide into two equal sized discs, wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. 

On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll out to fit a 25 cm pie dish. Leave 2-3cm overhang, fold it under and crimp with your finger and thumb. Leave to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes. Line with parchment, cover with baking beans and blind bake at 180°C/ 160°C fan for about 20 minutes, until firm. Remove the parchment and baking beans, and bake for a further 10 – 15 minutes, until golden brown. Allow to cool. 

To make the filling, whisk the sugar, cornstarch and lemon zest in a bowl. Add the blueberries, toss to coat and then pour over the lemon juice. Stir again, and leave to macerate while you make the topping. 

Put the flour in a bowl, add the butter and incorporate by rubbing in between your fingers and thumbs. When you have a mixture resembling coarse sand with some pea-sized butter pieces, add the sugar and cinnamon, continue rubbing in. Stir through the oats.

To assemble the pie, pour the blueberry mixture on top of the cooled crust, and top with the crumbly oats. 

Bake at 190°C/170°C fan for about 45 minutes, until the berries have cooked down and are bubbling at the edges. Check halfway through cooking, if the crust is getting too dark cover it with tin foil. Allow to cool completely before serving.