Fruit
BLUEBERRY STREUSEL SLAB PIE WITH A SHORTBREAD CRUST - FROM PIE SQUARED BY CATHY BARROW
- Prep time 30 minutes
- Serves 12-15
Author Notes
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. Used by arrangement with Grand Central Publishing. All rights reserved. —Linsey Sowa
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
-
455 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 the 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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