Make-Ahead Blueberry Pie

From

August/September 2009

Make-Ahead Blueberry Pie

Minute Tapioca outshone other thickeners we tested for our Make-Ahead Blueberry Pie. During the freezing and thawing, water was squeezed out of the starch gel, causing soupy filling, and, consequently, soggy crusts. Different starches have varying freeze-thaw stability properties, and tapioca survived the process best.

Achieving a flaky crust was our biggest challenge. Dried fruit added to the filling helped absorb some of the fruit juices, which kept the filling from being soupy. Because dried blueberries were expensive and hard to find, we preferred dried cranberries, which added a faint tart complement to the blueberries in the filling. Sprinkling graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of the crust and on top of the filling also combated a soggy bottom and produced flaky and tender crusts. Plus, the crumbs melded into the filling and disappeared. Whatever you do, don’t defrost Make-Ahead Blueberry Pie before baking it—that guarantees a soggy crust.

Serves 8

Both fresh and frozen berries will work, but frozen berries will need to cook a few minutes longer in step 2. Use our Double-Crust Pie Dough recipe (related), or use one 15-ounce box Pillsbury Just Unroll! pie crust.

Ingredients

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