Bake

Blueberry Streusel Slab Pie with a Shortbread Crust From 'Pie Squared' by Cathy Barrow

by: Food52

July 9, 2024

0 Ratings

Photo by Christopher Hirsheimer and styled by Melissa Hamilton

Prep time 30 minutes
Cook time 30 minutes
Serves 12-15

Author Notes

This is a quick-to-the-table pie to make after a day of berry picking, no rolling pin required. While fresh fruit makes a lovely pie, frozen fruit works in a pinch, so fruity pie is possible even in the dead of winter. Thaw frozen berries enough to break up the clumps before stirring in the cornstarch and sugar. The crumbly oat topping makes it a perfectly suitable breakfast pie, right? An open-plan streusel topping means the berries burst in the heat of the oven for a juicy, intense fruit filling. Pay attention to building up the sides of the crust to create a dam to hold back those purple juices. Make Ahead: The crust may be pressed into the pan and refrigerated one day ahead, until ready to bake. The streusel may be made one day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

Swaps:
- Raspberry, olallieberry, marionberry, blackberry, cranberry, huckleberry, or a combination of all the berries—any berry but strawberry—works here. (The structure of strawberries is different than other berries, and they do not so much burst but wrinkle and desiccate.)
- Change the pecans out for almonds, walnuts, or pine nuts.

Adapted from PIE SQUARED: IRRESISTIBLY EASY SWEET & SAVORY SLAB PIES by Cathy Barrow, published on October 23, 2018. Copyright © 2018 by Cathy Barrow. Photography copyright © 2018 by Hirsheimer & Hamilton. Used by arrangement with Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved.

—Food52

Test Kitchen Notes

Bake this pie along with members of the Food52 Baking Club this July 2024—and ask Cathy all your pie making questions as part of our monthly AMA.

—The Editors

Ingredients

For the Crust and Filling
85 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
67 grams granulated sugar
1 egg yolk
180 grams all-purpose flour
¹/₄ teaspoon kosher salt
455g grams blueberries, picked over, stems and green berries discarded
150 grams granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstartch
¹/₈ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1 juice of one lemon

For the Streusel Topping
40 grams all-purpose flour
25 grams rolled (not instant) oats
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
¹/₈ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¹/₂ teaspoon kosher salt
28 grams unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
37 grams toasted pecans, chopped

Directions

For the crust: Using a stand mixer, hand mixer, or strong wooden spoon, beat the butter and sugar until smooth, lightened, and fluffy, about 5 minutes with the stand mixer. Add the egg yolk and beat until fully incorporated.
Add the flour and salt and stir until a crumbly dough is formed. Dump the dough into a 9x13-inch slab pie pan and, with pieces no larger than a walnut, press the dough up the sides and well into the corners of the pan before worrying about the bottom. Use a metal cup measure or a flat-bottomed glass to press the remaining dough as uniformly as possible to an approximate ¼-inch thickness.
Decorate the top edge using a table knife, fork, or another tool, making slight indentations all the way around. Chill the crust for at least 20 minutes.
Meanwhile Heat the oven to 350°F; if you have one, place a baking stone, Baking Steel, or inverted baking sheet on the center rack to heat.
For the filling: While the oven heats and the crust chills, make the filling. Gently stir the berries, sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg, and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Scrape the berry filling into the chilled crust.
For the streusel: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Pinch in the butter, mixing it with the dry ingredients until the streusel resembles coarse meal. Stir in the pecans. Scatter the streusel mixture evenly across the filling
To Bake: Slide the pie into the oven (on top of the steel, stone, or baking sheet if using) and bake until the edges are slightly browned and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes. This pie is best eaten warm, the day it is made, but if wrapped well it will reheat for a superb breakfast. Try it with a spoonful of plain yogurt on the side.

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