My love language is baking.
I’m not one for eloquent speeches or public proclamations of love. I don’t do well being in the spotlight. I’m more of a behind-the-scenes kind of gal.
So when I want to tell someone just how much they mean to me, I say it through baked goods.
This week, one of our sweet friends is moving to Okinawa for the next few years. And so it was only fitting to send her off with dinner and a special dessert.
I know that most people tend towards cake for special occasions. But personally, I think pie is more fitting. It’s time-consuming and hands-on. It’s a dessert that you really have to get your hands dirty to make. When you’re rolling out the dough and shaping the crust, you’re really pouring a piece of yourself into it.
And if you’re going to go to all of the trouble to make pie, you might as well triple the size and make enough to feed a small army (or, you know, freeze for later. Either way.)
This blueberry slab pie will easily feed 12 people (more if you tend towards smaller slices). The filling utilizes an exact ratio of blueberries to thickener, so you get a perfectly sliceable pie that holds its shape instead of collapsing into a runny, gooey mess (as most blueberry pies tend to do). I chose a dough that uses both butter and shortening, making it incredibly pliable and easy to work with since we’re covering such a large surface area. And the vodka in the dough ensures an extremely flaky and tender crust.
This pie says everything that I need it to say. I love you, friend. You will be missed. So until we meet again, take care. And maybe the next time you have a slice of blueberry pie, you’ll think of me and smile.
Blueberry Slab Pie
Active time: 1 hour (plus additional time for decorating)
Start to finish: 3 hours (plus cooling time)
Serves 12
Ingredients
For the crust
36 tablespoons unsalted butter ( 4 1/2 sticks), cut into 1/2-inch cubes and frozen in advance
6 tablespoons shortening, frozen
1 1/2 cup vodka
7 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons salt
For the filling
40 ounces fresh blueberries (6 1/2 cups)
16 ounces wild blueberries (4 cups), fresh or frozen
2 ounces fresh lemon juice (4 tablespoons)
14 ounces sugar (2 cups)
1/2 teaspoon (4g) table salt
3 ounces tapioca starch (also known as casva flour) (2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons)
For the egg wash
1 egg plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 ounce heavy cream (1 tablespoon)
1/8 teaspoon (1/2g) table salt
Directions
For the pie crust
*Note: the following instructions are written to make the pie dough in two batches. If you have a super extra large food processor, feel free to make one big batch.
Cut 18 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) butter into 1/2-inch cubes and freeze overnight (minimum five minutes). Measure shortening (3 tablespoons) with a tablespoon and scrape out with a small spatula or spoon into a bowl and keep in freezer until ready to use.
Pour vodka (3/4 cup) into a liquid measuring cup, then add several ice cubes. Wait until vodka is chilled; remove ice after a few minutes. Vodka water mixture should reach 1 cup measurement.
Combine flour (3 3/4 cups) and salt (1 1/2 teaspoons) in a large mixing bowl; add frozen butter and shortening. Toss together quickly with your hands to coat each piece of butter and shortening with flour mixture. Transfer to the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade; pulse 2 to 3 times until the size of chickpeas.
Pour vodka mixture through feed tube in a steady stream while constantly pulsing until dough begins to pull together. Avoid running the machine automatically or it may overmix. Butter and shortening should be about the size of dried lentils.
Carefully turn dough out onto a very lightly floured work surface and remove the blade. Try to use no more than 1 tablespoon bench flour. Knead the dough just enough to pull it together.
Wrap the dough plastic wrap and shape into a large rectangle. Refrigerate for minimum of 30 minutes.
Repeat to make the second half of the pie dough. When finished, you should have two large rectangles. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
When the dough is chilled, remove one rectangle from the fridge. On a well-floured surface, roll out the dough into a rectangle that is 1″ larger than your sheet pan on all sides.
Roll the dough onto your rolling pin and transfer to your sheet pan. Unroll the dough, pressing it gently into the pan (do not stretch).
Place sheet pan in the refrigerator to chill while you make the filling.
For the filling
Toss regular and wild blueberries, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and tapioca starch in a large bowl, folding with a flexible spatula until well combined.
Scrape into prepared pie shell. Place back into the refrigerator while you roll out your top crust.
Remove your second rectangle of pie dough from the refrigerator. Roll out the dough on a well-floured surface into a rectangle that is 1/2″ larger than your sheet pan on all sides.
Roll the dough onto your rolling pin to transfer to your pie.
Make egg wash by whisking together egg, egg yolk, cream, and salt. Using a pastry brush, brush egg wash around the edge of your pie in the sheet pan. This will act as a “glue” to hold the top crust on.
Unroll the pie dough from your rolling pin onto the top of your pie in the sheet pan. Using a sharp knife, trim excess dough from the crust so that it is even with edge of the pan.
Use a fork to seal the edges of the crust. Cut several small vents in the top of the crust. Decorate as desired with pie crust cutouts made from excess dough. Use egg wash to adhere the cutouts to the top crust.
Refrigerate until completely chilled, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Remove pie from refrigerator and brush the top with egg wash.
Bake until crust is golden, about 1 hour, then loosely cover with tented foil. Continue baking until filling is bubbling even in the very center of the pie, about 15 minutes longer. If crust completely covers filling, bake until pie reaches an internal temperature of 213°F on a digital thermometer.
Cool pie about 3 hours to avoid a runny, thin filling.
Serve with vanilla ice cream!
