BON APPETIT'S BLUEBERRY SOUR CREAM PIE, ADAPTED

Right now, blueberries abound in Eastern North Carolina. While I like to buy local produce, when our Harris Teeter offered New Jersey blueberries as a buy one-get one sale, I couldn't resist. After all, I spent 20 years of my life in New Jersey, the Garden State, and even had my own blueberry bushes. (BTW, is it my imagination, or are the New Jersey blueberries bigger and sweeter? They look bigger and they taste sweeter to me.) We had company for dinner earlier this week, and that was all the excuse I needed to bake up a blueberry pie. The recipe I worked from was published by Bon Appetit in their June 1995 issue. You can see the original version on epicurious. This pie was delicious! The sour cream filling tones down the tartness of the blueberries; but when you serve it with creme fraiche instead of ice cream or whipped cream, the tartness comes back. I'm rating this a 9 out of 10, a definite keeper.

Bon Appetit's Blueberry Sour Cream Pie, adapted

Rating: 9 out of 10

CRUST: Use your favorite pie crust recipe, store-bought crust, or check out my favorite pie crust recipe.

FILLING: 1 cup lite sour cream

3/4 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1 egg, beaten

3/4 tsp. almond extract

1 Tbsp. almond liqueur

1/4 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

5 cups fresh blueberries + 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

TOPPING: 1/3 cup whole wheat flour

1/3 cup oats

3 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, cold, cut in chunks

1/3 cup sliced almonds

GARNISH: 1-1/2 cup blueberries

8-12 oz. creme fraiche

1 tsp. cinnamon

Make pie crust according to recipe or package directions. Preheat oven to 400F. Position oven rack in bottom third of oven and place a pizza stone on the rack.

Roll out pie dough on floured surface to 13-inch round. Transfer to a 9" glass pie plate. Trim edge to 1/2" overhang. Fold and crimp edge. Set aside.

Whisk all filling ingredients except blueberries till smooth and well combined. Gently mix in blueberries. Spoon into crust. Place on pizza stone; bake 25 minutes. Sprinkle topping (see directions below) over pie. Bake an additional 20 minutes, or till filling is set and bubbling. Cool pie on wire rack for at least 4 hours before cutting. Garnish each slice with a dollop of creme fraiche, a sprinkle of cinnamon and some fresh blueberries. Yummmm.

Topping: In work bowl of food processor, combine all ingredients except almonds. Pulse till mixture is like cornmeal. Add almonds and just pulse briefly to combine. (Or if you don't have a food processor, then combine all ingredients except almonds in a medium bowl. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or two knifes until the mixture resembles cornmeal. Add the almonds and crunch them slightly with the knives or pastry blender to combine.)