Blueberry Pie with No Top Crust?

[BakerAunt]

For New Year's Day dinner, we have a tradition of blueberry pie. I canned blueberry pie filling this summer (Clear Jel recipe to which RandyD posted a link on the Baking Circle years ago--Univ. of Georgia). I'm wondering if I can just make a bottom crust (the oil one I've now used successfully three times) and leave the filling uncovered. It's pretty thick. Would that bake well, or do you think that I need the top crust, in which case I'll look at the other oil pie crust recipe in the KAF 200th Anniversary Cookbook.

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[KIDPIZZA]

BAKERAUNT:
Good evening to you. Marliss, why not consider a sruesel (crummy top) cover. easily found on google.

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO YOU & ALL OF THE BAKER MEMBERS.

~CASS///KIDPIZZA

[Mike Nolan]

Happy New Year to you, Cass, and it's great to see you posting.

[BakerAunt]

Thanks, Cass. Happy New Year to you! I was trying to cut back on the saturated fat by not having a top crust, but perhaps I could use a light streusel topping, like the one I used on the apple cake last week.

[Joan Simpson]

Happy New Year to Cass and everyone!

[BakerAunt]

I had some issues with the Blueberry Pie.

I tried baking the blueberry pie on New Year’s Day, using the oil crust, and reserving some of the crust ingredients to sprinkle on top. It came out more as a cobbler. The crust held up, but the filling did not thicken up. I used homemade blueberry pie filling that I canned last summer. I probably should have used just 1-quart rather than adding an additional pint. The pie would have been a bit low, but that would have been fine. I added 2 tsp. of lime juice and ¼ tsp. allspice. I may not have baked it-- after blind-baking the shell--for long enough at a higher temperature. I started it at 425F, then after 10 minutes reduced it to 375F and baked another 40 minutes. That works for my apple pie, which has a hot filling added, but not for this one with room-temperature filling. (The apple pie is also baked in a deep-dish Emile Henry ceramic pie plate; this one was baked in a regular 9-inch pie tin.) I probably would have left it longer, but we had Skype appointments with the kids, so I pulled it out, thinking it would gel as it cooled. It didn’t. The crust did come out crisp and not soggy, and I liked the topping. The filling is delicious, but we were hoping for regular pie.

Next time, I’ll use just a quart of filling. Other possible issues that may have created problems include the different kind of oven, putting the pie on the center shelf rather than the lower one, since the top element only comes on for broiling, need for higher oven temperature, or maybe it would bake best with a top crust. There is also the possibility that the filling could have been thicker.

• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.
• This reply was modified 5 years, 10 months ago by BakerAunt.

[Mike Nolan]

Assuming your filling started with fresh blueberries from your yard, you may need to adjust the amount of thickener you're using, as fresh berries tend to be a lot juicier than ones that have been frozen before used in a pie filling or even ones bought at the store.

[RiversideLen]

Maybe skip the bottom crust and just use the top crust. Or use the bottom crust and loosely cover the top with foil.

[BakerAunt]

The blueberries came from a local farm. I canned the filling this summer. I still have 2 1/2 quarts, so I'll experiment later this winter and report back. I'm thinking it did not get hot enough. I'll use less filling, a higher temperature, and wait until it bubbles in the center.

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