Pie Crust- Maple Blueberry Pie

 If you search for "Pie Crust" here on Give Peas A Chance you will find none. Not one. You may find references to a pie crust made long ago, before my kids were born. A pie crust that melted off the pie plate in the oven, on to the oven floor. Just oozed right down. Quite spectacularly actually. I wish I would have gotten a picture. I wasn't blogging yet though. Anyway. Several people have shown me how to make a pie crust, offered to show me. Just hasn't worked. So basically- I'm a big chicken.
Then there's the shortening dealio. I know full well that the refrigerated unroll and bake crust have junk in them because I use them. But at least I'm not buying shortening for one thing. I tried all butter crusts. I couldn't make them. Then there's Spectrum, they have a shortening that's not all hydrogenated oils. But again, buy one tub for what? We don't eat stuff with crust too often. Now I render my own lard and I thought, "hey this worked awesome with the Cobbler I made, why not try pie crust?" So I tried it, and guess what folks? It was easy. AND it didn't melt all over the oven. AAAND I'm over my fear. The only thing is, this crust is WAY flaky and I didn't even have pea sized crumbles when I worked the shortening and butter into the dough. So the next time I'll not work it in so much that it looks like I have cornmeal. Total amateur here. Whatever. I didn't even have a pie plate. A friend of mine had one and she gave it to me. I have pie plates but they have been in storage. Didn't miss them till now. See? Amateur. Let's make some pie, CRUST yo.
Let's just make the whole pie I guess...

I don't bake pies, especially fruit pies. But, we just picked blueberries so I had some frozen ones so I thought why not? I don't know much about pies, this whole post is probably evident of that. But,  I knew that I didn't want the pie to be overly sweet, too tart,  or runny. Knowing those three things, I kept it simple and applied rules I knew for those "issues". I didn't have any flour either. I just threw this together. You may just want to use your own recipe.  The only reason it has maple syrup in it is because I couldn't find my star cookie cutter,  I used my maple leaf cutter for the top crust instead, so I stirred some maple syrup into the filling. I know right? I'm crazy.
Just keep in mind that I am not a baker, so you may do things totally different. In fact, you probably do them the right way, but this so works for me!

See that piece I tasted? That hole kept growing and growing.

 Seriously you all. I made this. It's crazy. Never thought it would happen.

 What!?

Crazy. And lucky for you all, my plate and board fell off the side of the porch. Pie down, plate broken. No more pictures.  Because I would have taken more than three. I would have. Hundreds to document the occasion. I was just going in for a scoop of ice cream too. Sigh.
We had this pie for breakfast with ice cream. The morning before Diva got her braces on. YUM.

Give Peas A Chance Pie Crust

2-1/2 to 3 cups all purpose flour
2-3  tablespoons sugar*
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lard -  COLD
3/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces- COLD
3-6 tablespoons ice water
1-2 tablespoons heavy cream or egg wash to brush on crust before baking

1. Put 2-1/2 cups flour into a bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt.
2. Cut the cold lard into the flour, until combined. Work your hands, a pastry cutter, two dinner knives, or a food processor.
3. Using the same method, cut in the butter until you no longer have big lumps of butter.
4. At this point check your dough, if it is not able to "take in" all the butter add a little bit of flour. Work it in.
5. Add water one tablespoon at a time. You may not use all the water, discard the rest. Use just enough water so that the dough comes together.
6. Place half of the dough between two pieces of parchment paper and roll it out.
7. Repeat with remaining dough.
8. Place the dough inside the parchment paper into the freezer.
9. Chill very well until ready to use.
10. This crust can be blind baked, or baked with filling.

*I used 3 tablespoons of the water.
*I added some flour also, a tablespoon or 2
* Use less sugar for savory pies.
*You can also grate the butter in to the flour mixture like this Scone recipe.
*I rolled this out using parchment like I do Sugga Sugga cookies. Then put the whole thing, parchment and all into the freezer I am certain you can keep several rolled out recipes of this crust on hand to use when needed.
*If frozen let the dough thaw until pliable. I had some places rip and I just pressed it to seal when I was putting it into the pie plate.

Give Peas A Chance Maple Blueberry Pie

5-6 cups of blueberries, if frozen you don't need to thaw them
1 level tablespoon corn starch
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar (not packed)
2 teaspoons vanilla
Zest from one lime
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1-2 tablespoons of heavy cream
1-2 tablespoons of sugar or vanilla bean sugar

1. Toss the berries in the corn starch. 
2. Mix in the remaining filling ingredients. Set aside while you roll out the pie crust. 
3. Once the bottom crust is in the plate. 
4. Fold over the edges, and crimp. If there's a lot of excess, cut that off first. 
5. Add the blueberry filling. 
6. Top with maple leaves or stars. 
7. Brush the crust with heavy cream, sprinkle with sugar.
8. I baked my Blueberry Pie at 425 degrees for 20 minutes then 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. 
9. After the first 20 minutes I put a pie crust shield on the edges to keep them from getting too brown.

*I didn't have a lemon, so I used a lime, if you have one and would rather use that, go for it.
*IF you just want a regular top crust, put the top crust on, trim it to fit the pie plate THEN crimp the top and bottom crusts together.  Instead of crimping the bottom crust by itself. Make sure you vent the top of the crust with some slits on the top crust.