THE REAL COOKS ILLUSTRATED BLUEBERRY PIE,

After making an adapted version of Cooks Illustrated blueberry pie, I was anxious to make the real thing. But when I read through the recipe instructions, I almost got dizzy. It was overly complicated, and there didn't seem to be a good reason for some of the complexity. I was surprised that the cinnamon and cardamom in the adapted version were not in the CI original. IMHO, there was not enough lemon juice or tapioca either. (CI felt that the grated apple would produce enough pectin to thicken the blueberry filling.) I added the cinnamon and cardamom and increased the tapioca by 1 Tbsp. and the lemon juice by 1 Tbsp, and this pie was wonderful. Nice thick slices, full of blueberry flavor, a definite winner. The lemon, cinnamon and cardamom worked in the background to make the blueberries the star. CI, take note: I've improved your recipe!

One other change I made was to eliminate the top crust. Who needs the calories? And from readers' comments, the top crust was cumbersome anyway. Everyone had trouble with it, because CI designed a top crust that had circles cut out all around, making the dough hard to handle and hard to place over the filling. Instead, I cut out stars of the leftover dough, and baked them after the pie came out of the oven.

And, oh, yes, another change -- I decided not to grate the apple. I did that with the adapted version and wasn't happy with the way it baked. Instead, I chopped the apple and cooked it with the first half of the berries. This worked much better. The apples are "invisible" in the pie -- you can't taste them or see them. I still think this recipe is overly complicated, even for a masochist like me. A jar of blueberry preserves would work just as well as cooking the blueberries on the stove. But here it is, if you are a glutton for punishment:

The Real Cooks Illustrated Blueberry Pie, Adapted

Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: Cook's Illustrated Vodka Pie Crust (Make it with Limoncello for an even better crust)

6 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, chopped

2 tsp. finely grated lemon zest

1-1/2 Tbsp. lemon juice

3/4 cup sugar, divided use (I used 1/2 cup sugar + 1-1/2 tsp. Stevia)

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

3 Tbsp. instant tapioca, ground (I used my coffee grinder)

pinch of sea salt

2 Tbsp. butter, cut into 1/4" pieces (I used Smart Balance 50/50 butter blend)

Prepare pie crust and refrigerate. When ready to make pie, roll out dough on well-floured surface, fit into 9" pie plate that's been lightly sprayed with cooking spray, trim the overhang, crimp edges and refrigerate. Roll remaining dough out and cut with star-shaped cookie cutters, or other favorite designs. Place "cookies" on a pie plate and refrigerate.

Adjust oven rack to lowest position, place rimmed baking sheet on oven rack and heat oven to 400F.

Place 3 cups berries, 1/2 cup sugar, zest, juice, tapioca, salt, cinnamon and cardamom in medium bowl. Toss to combine; let stand 1/2 hour.

Place 3 cups berries, chopped apple, and 1/4 cup sugar in saucepan and heat till thickened.

Combine berries; fill chilled pie crust. Dot with butter, pushing the pieces into the filling. Bake on preheated baking sheet for 30 minutes. Cover edges and top of pie with loose tinfoil. Reduce oven temperature to 350F and bake an additional 45 minutes, or till juices bubble. Transfer to wire rack to cool at least two hours before cutting.

While pie is cooling, brush raw pastry "cookies" with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar. Bake about 10 minutes, or till nicely golden and cooked through. Place decoratively on cooled pie before serving.

COOKS ILLUSTRATED BLUEBERRY PIE, ADAPTED VERSION

There is no doubt in my mind which magazine is going to be next on my subscription list: Cook's Illustrated. The people in America's Test Kitchen continually beat the crowd for innovative ideas and recipes. Their vodka pie crust is just one example of their ingenuity at work. I've already made it several times, and honestly, it is just the best darned crust ever -- so flaky and tender. Of course, I took it to another whole level this time by making it with Limoncello (lemon-infused sweetened vodka).

Currently, I don't subscribe to CI; so, when I saw this recipe in our local paper I decided to try it. The article stated it was an adaptation of CI's blueberry pie. The recipe for their vodka pie crust, and the recipe for the pie were both printed. I had no earthly idea what it was they adapted, left out or added. So I just went with it.

The crust was, of course, fantastic -- made with limoncello, remember? The pie filling was good but not great. It was kind of on the thin side, with only 3-1/2 cups of blueberries. Of course, everyone else loved it. Am I the only persnickety pie eater out there? I knew I was right. So I researched on the internet and found the original CI blueberry pie recipe, which I promptly made and will be posting next. In the meantime, here is the adaptation which is also on the internet somewhere. If you're in a hurry, you can make this version because the original is a bit more work, but vastly superior to the adaptation.

Blueberry Pie
Adapted from Cook's Illustrated by ?
Rating: 7.5 out of 10

INGREDIENTS: Cook's Illustrated Vodka Pie Crust or your favorite crust
3-1/2 cups blueberries, washed and dried
3/4 cup sugar
zest of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1 small green apple (about 1 cup) peeled and grated on large holes of box grater
2-1/2 Tbsp. quick-cooking tapioca

In a medium bowl, combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, zest, cinnamon, cardamom, grated apple and tapioca. Toss lightly and let stand about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 400F. Lightly coat a 9" pie pan with cooking spray. Prepare crust; chill; roll out on well-floured counter to 12" circle. Transfer to prepared pie pan. Trim edges. Transfer blueberry filling and any juices to the pie shell, smoothing the filling into an even layer. Bake 20-25 minutes; reduce temperature to 350F and bake for another 35 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool at least 2 hours before cutting.

Roll scraps of dough out on floured surface and cut with your favorite cookie cutter. Place these on the pie, or better, on an ungreased cookie sheet to bake alongside the pie. Then you can put the pie crust "cookies" on top of the pie as a decoration. Brush them with some milk, cream or H&H and sprinkle with sugar before you bake them. As you can see, I put mine on top of the pie and they kind of curled up when they baked. They'll look nicer if you bake them separately.

BLUEBERRY-RASPBERRY CRUMB PIE

My freezer is still loaded with blueberries and raspberries and I decided to use them for this pie. Frozen berries can be runny in a pie, but my trick was to use tapioca. It's great for fruit fillings -- firming up the juice with no runs. I had leftover crumb topping and pie dough in my freezer, and I used that too.

The bland crumb topping blends perfectly with the tart sweetness of the fruits. Lemon and orange flavorings complement the berries nicely without overpowering -- in fact you'd be hard pressed to tell someone what flavors are in this pie, because what you taste are the berries. Even the cinnamon and nutmeg work behind the scenes to draw your attention to the stars: blueberries and raspberries.

Blueberry-Raspberry Crumb Pie

Source: Judy's Kitchen

Rating: 9 out of 10

INGREDIENTS:

1. your favorite pie crust

2.Crumb Topping:

1/4 cup whole wheat flour
2 Tbsp. quick oats
pinch sea salt
2 Tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. molasses
1 Tbsp. SB 50/50 Butter Blend

Combine all ingredients in bowl of food processor; pulse till mixture is like pebbles. Refrigerate till ready to use.

3. Pie Filling:

3 cups blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup instant tapioca

1/2 tsp. orange zest

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1 tsp. frozen orange juice concentrate

1 tsp. lemon juice

1/8 tsp. cinnamon

big pinch fresh grated nutmeg

2 Tbsp. Smart Balance buttery spread

Preheat oven to 400F. In large bowl, combine fruits, sugar, tapioca and flavorings, stirring well to combine. Let sit for 15-20 minutes. Fill pie crust. Dot with Smart Balance. Cover with crumb topping. Place pie in oven and immediately reduce heat to 350F. Bake 40-45 minutes, or till pie begins to bubble and crust browns. Transfer to wire rack to cool before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

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.)