Blueberry Pie with Cornmeal Crust and Lemon Cream

From the kitchen of Carly

Cornmeal crust brings nutty crunch to this blueberry pie, while tart lemon cream cuts through the fruit's sweetness. Buttery, flaky, and worth the work, this is pie that justifies the effort.

Blueberry Pie with Cornmeal Crust and Lemon Cream

Blueberry pie with cornmeal crust hits different. The cornmeal adds a gentle grind and subtle sweetness that plays against tart berries and bright lemon. The crust stays flaky and tender even loaded with juicy filling, thanks to a mix of butter and shortening that keeps things together without getting gummy. Lemon cream on top rounds out the whole thing.

Prep
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Cook
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Total
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Servings
4
Difficulty
medium

Ingredients

4 servings

  • 2 1/2 cupall purpose flour
  • 1/4 cupcornmeal
  • 3 tbspsugar
  • 3/4 tspsalt
  • 1/2 cupplus 6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/4 cupnonhydrogenated solid vegetable shortening, frozen, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 4 tbspice water
  • 5 cupfresh blueberries
  • 3/4 cupsugar
  • 1/4 cupcornstarch
  • 1 tbspfresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbspwater
  • 1Milk
  • 1 1/2 tbspraw sugar*
  • 1Lemon Cream

Instructions

  1. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Scatter in the butter and shortening, then pulse in short on/off bursts until the mixture looks like coarse meal. Pour in 4 tablespoons of ice water and pulse just until moist clumps start to come together, adding more ice water a teaspoon at a time if the dough still looks dry. Turn it out and gather it into a ball, then divide in half and press each half into a flat disk. Wrap the disks separately in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. If making ahead, the dough keeps well for up to 1 day in the fridge; let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling.

  2. In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and 1 tablespoon of water. Toss everything together until well coated, then let the bowl sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes, until the berries begin releasing their juices.

  3. Position a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack and preheat the oven to 400°F. Between 2 generously floured sheets of parchment, roll out one dough disk into a 12-inch round. Peel away the top sheet of parchment, then flip the dough into a 9-inch glass pie dish. Carefully peel off the second parchment sheet. Press the dough gently into the dish, pinching together any cracks to seal, and leave the overhang in place. Spoon the blueberry filling evenly into the crust.

  4. Roll the second dough disk out between 2 generously floured parchment sheets to a 12-inch round. Peel off the top sheet, then carefully flip the dough over the filling. Peel away the remaining parchment. Trim both layers of overhang to 1 inch, fold the edges under, and press firmly to seal. Crimp the border decoratively. Cut five 2-inch-long slits across the top crust so steam can escape, then brush the surface (avoiding the edges) lightly with milk and scatter the raw sugar over the top.

  5. Slide the pie into the oven and bake for 15 minutes, then drop the temperature to 350°F. Continue baking until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling thickly up through the slits, about 1 hour 15 minutes more. Transfer the pie to a rack and let it cool completely before slicing. Serve the wedges alongside Lemon Cream.

  6. Raw sugar goes by turbinado or demerara sugar and is available at most supermarkets and natural foods stores.

Tips from the kitchen

  • Use stone-ground cornmeal if you can find it, medium grind. It gives you actual texture in the crust instead of a flat, sandy feel.
  • Let blueberries macerate with sugar and cornstarch for the full 30 minutes. This jump-starts the release of juice and helps the filling thicken properly without turning to starch mush.
  • Work your dough between sheets of parchment instead of on a floured counter. The parchment stays put, your dough stays cool, and transferring to the pie dish is forgiving.
  • Chill your butter and shortening properly before blending. Cold fat is what makes a pie crust flake. If they warm up during mixing, your crust will be dense.

Variations

  • Cornmeal Crust Only: Skip the blueberries and use any other stone fruit or berry. Peaches and raspberries work beautifully with the cornmeal texture.
  • Double Crust Blind Bake: Pre-bake the bottom crust at 400°F for 8 minutes to prevent sogginess, then add filling and top crust for the final bake.
  • Brown Sugar Variation: Swap half the sugar in the crust dough for brown sugar to deepen the cornmeal flavor with a bit of molasses.
  • Skip the Top Crust: Make this a cornmeal galette instead. Spoon filling into the bottom crust, fold edges up, and brush with egg wash for a more casual, forgiving shape.

Make ahead and storage

Store pie covered at room temperature up to 2 days, or refrigerated up to 4 days. It holds fine in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature before serving or rewarm gently in a 300°F oven for about 20 minutes if you like it warm.