When it comes to fruit, “juicy” is usually a good thing. But we all know at times one can have too much of a good thing—and cooked blueberries are a prime example. A crisp, buttery cobbler or pie crust can be lost in an ocean of blue juice, quickly becoming a soggy mess.
This crumble-pie combo does a nice job of balancing sweet blueberry ooze with crunchy crust and a crumb topping. It works equally well, if even more juicy, when you add a few chopped peaches to the filling. We agree with Williams-Sonoma, whose recipe inspired us, that this pie is best eaten the day it’s baked. But Steve (like Michelle’s mother) assures readers that it’s pretty darned good the next morning as well.
BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE PIE
(adapted from Williams-Sonoma, Essentials of Baking, by Cathy Burgett, Elinor Klivans & Lou Seibert)
- 1 recipe pâte brisée
- 3/4 c. + 4 TB + 1 TB all-purpose flour
- 1/3 c. + 1/3 c. packed brown sugar
- 1/3 c. + 1 TB granulated sugar
- 1/2 tsp. + 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
- pinch of salt
- 8 TB (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 5 c. blueberries or a mix of blueberries and chopped peaches
Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400° F.
Roll out the dough and transfer to a 9-inch pie pan (we used a glass one). Poke holes in crust with a fork. Freeze until firm.
Line the chilled piecrust with a piece of aluminum foil. Fill with dried beans and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Reduce the heat to 350° F. Continue to bake for 5 minutes more. Transfer the pan to a wire rack.
Increase oven temperature to 375° F.
While crust is pre-baking, stir together 3/4 cup flour, 1/3 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and the salt in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and work in with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture forms large, coarse crumbs.
In another large bowl, combine the blueberries (and peach pieces, if using), remaining 1/3 cup brown sugar, remaining 1/2 tsp. cinnamon and 4 tablespoons of flour. Stir gently to evenly coat the fruit.
Sprinkle the remaining tablespoons of flour and granulated sugar over the bottom of the pre-baked crust. Pour the filling into the crust and spread evenly. Then sprinkle the crumble topping over.
Bake pie until the topping is browned and the filling is beginning to bubble, about 50 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cool completely.
The pie is best served at room temperature the first day. However, it crisps up well the next day in a 350° F oven.
Gourmandistan 
That looks delicious and very nice home made pastry too! It makes a huge difference.
I have to say: Steve makes the best pie crust.
He does indeed!
I have been eating Maida Heater’s blueberry crumble this week; but the crust is missing!
That’s a good one though!
Could I have dates also instead of blueberries? They are quite abundant in my locality
Thank you for another great recipe idea. Do you think blackberries would be a suitable fruit for this recipe?
I don’t know why not!
Awesome dessert
Thank you.
Looks too yummy 🙂
Great job Steve. Blueberries are readily available here in Ireland. However, they are pretty inept as a general rule. I haven’t enjoyed a blueberry pie here ever. Though, when stateside, I understand the popularity. Perhaps they are like some wines that don’t travel.
Best,
Conor
Yeah, outside the local season, they’re hardly worth having.
Sadly, I have to agree with Conor and although a visiting American friend gave us (in the UK) a blueberry bush, the birds get its few berries each year, they’re so few they’re hardly worth picking. I find commercial blueberries here are good for adding a bit of depth and richness to a mixed fruit pie but don’t really stand alone.*sigh* I shall just have to live vicariously through your photos – love the blueberry/peach combo and the crumble topping with a crisp crust.
It’s funny that people like Roger always say they can’t find blueberries at all in France. I’m like I know that Bonne Maman makes a myrtilles jam, so WTF?? Who knows why they don’t work for you all in Britain? But even here, unless they’re grown locally and organically, they’re honestly not worth having (though it doesn’t stop folks from buying them in the grocery in January … go figure).
Maybe it’s a regional thing in France, I find shops there are often quite ‘local’ in what they stock, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. As for the UK, I can grow lots of other soft fruit successfully so maybe we should just be thankful for what we have. 🙂
This is beautiful. Love the crumble and pie fusion, so to speak. Your desserts are always so pretty.
Thanks so much, Mimi. It really was a delicious pie. We do actually cook savory, but desserts are so much easier to photograph! (I’m usually too anxious to eat dinner…)
Are they really? Interesting!!! (I wouldn’t know…)