Blueberry-Sour Cream Pie

      My cousins, Cali and Jeremy, just had a baby girl in November so I rode the train with my great Aunt and great Uncle (Uncle Paul and Aunt Amy) to visit them and the baby, Lucy. We had a bit of an adventure with a small gas leak but they turned off the furnace and we are currently heating the house with the fire place until someone can look at the furnace to fix it on Monday. Cali received cookbook titled Pie by Ken Haedrich for Christmas. The book has 300 recipes. So they are baking every recipe in the book. This weekend Jeremy and I made Blueberry-Sour Cream Pie. Here is the recipe to make this pie :)

Before the pie is cut.

(The recipe says if you have fresh blueberries to squish them into between the cooked blue berries after you put the cooked blueberry mixture into the pie crust "because fresh berries and cooked berries have a divine taste when together" )

Crust

1 Graham Cracker Crumb Crust (we used a regular pie crust that my Aunt Amy made)

Filling

One 1-pound bag individually frozen blueberries (not packed in syrup)

1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

A slice of the delicious pie!

1/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream Cheese-Sour Cream Topping

One 8-ounce package full-fat cream cheese, softened

1/3 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/2 cup full-fat sour cream

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Garnish

Handful of fresh blueberries or threads of lemon zest (optional)

1. Prepare the crust and press it into the bottom and up the side of a 9 1/2-inch deep dish pie pan. Refrigerate, prebake, and let cool. if you are using a store-bought crust, prebake as directed on the package and let cool.

2. Combine the frozen blueberries and lemon juice in a medium-size nonreactive saucepan. Cover, and cook over medium to low heat until the blueberries are almost simmering in their own liquid. Mix the granulated sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl, then stir the mixture into the blueberries. Bring the fruit to a boil, stirring nonstop, for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Scrape the fruit into a shallow bowl and let cook for 15 minutes.

3.  Spoon the partially cooled filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth with a spoon. If you're using fresh berries, scatter them over the fruit and press them into the cooked berries. Refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, make the topping. Using an electric mixer, beat the cream cheese sugars, and lemon zest together in a medium-size bowl until smooth. Add the sour cream and vanilla and blend briefly until smooth. Spoon the filling over the chilled pie and smooth the top with a spoon. Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

5. Just before serving, garnish with the blueberries or lemon zest, if desired.

Then ENJOY!

Tip for success:

When you're spooning the creamy topping over the fruit, take care that all of the topping is in place before you start to smooth it out. That way, you're more likely to avoid dipping the back of your spoon into the fruit filling and smearing blue streaks across the otherwise perfectly white surface. If that does happen and you're bothered by the streaks, you can always crush some vanilla wafers in a food processor or by hand and sprinkle them over the top to hide your booboo. Or you can garnish the pie with fresh berries. :)