Blueberry Pie
Ingredients
- 16 cup blueberries
- 10 cup unbleached white flour
- 1 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cup lard
- 2 tsp salt
- Cold water
Instructions
Makes 1 14-inch pie. Take 8 (2) cups of the blueberries and mash them. Place in a pot and bring to the barest simmer. Simmer and reduce until they reach the consistency of tomato paste and allow to cool. Add the salt to the flour, and cut the butter and lard into the flour (with the large amount, 2 knives works far better than a pastry blender, but such a tool would probably be fine with the small amount) until the mixture is like small peas or large BB's. Add just enough water that the dough holds its shape when pressed together. Divide the dough into 2 balls and set one ball aside. Roll out the first ball to slightly larger than the diameter of the pie dish and drape it in the dish. Press down *gently* till the dough conforms to the shape of the dish. Set the dish in the refrigerator. Mix the remaining blueberries with the blueberry paste, stirring gently to avoid breaking up the whole berries but enough to mix the 2 parts well. Roll out the second dough ball again to slightly larger than the diameter of the pie dish. Spoon the blueberries into the pie dish and cover with the top crust, crimping the crusts together. Prick the surface of the top crust with a fork several times, creating plenty of steam vents. Preheat the oven to 425 F and bake the pie for 10 minutes at this temperature (no matter what the pie size). Reduce the heat to 350 F and bake for 2-2 1/2 hours (30-40 min) more, until the crust is evenly medium brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. This is important. The flavor will much improve if you let it cool completely, then, if you want it warm, reheating it.