Blueberry Muffins in the Morning with Blueberry Johnson

I haven't made a Blueberry pie since 2000, but walking in the bazaar with Maya and seeing buckets of blueberries did make me think of yummy muffins, but she suggested that we make a pie. I was really happy how she made the connection. I hadn't really had any intention to bake, but I wanted to encourage her to enjoy the kitchen. If you look in the upper right hand corner of the photo, you can see what she made out of the scraps of dough.

I ended up making a blueberry crumb, since I only had one crust. I have always been a fan of crumb pies. The topping is just awesome. I usually only make a covered pie, when I want to be creative an make something decorative.

The crust recipe that I use is my favorite. I have been using it for years. I like to keep some crust in the fridge through out the fall and winter, for quiches, tarts or pies. This recipe yields 2 9" (22.86 cm) crusts.

2 1/2 cups of all-purpose/universal flour, you can chill it in the fridge.

1 tsp salt

8 oz unsalted butter, cold/chilled (not frozen) cut into little pieces about 1"

1/2 cup ice water, not chunky, just really, really cold.

Plastic wrap

When making dough you need to keep thinks cold and work quickly. If you keep it cold, the results will be a delicious flaky pastry. Don't work so fast that you don't actually incorporate all the ingredients.

** I used a food processor for my dough. I am lazy and don't make it by hand. If you don't have a food processor google some tips for using a pastry cutter or other methods!**

Combine flour and salt in a food processor fitted with the sharp blade. Pulse to combine. Add the pieces of cold butter and combine till little pieces form. Then add the ice water and pulse till everything comes together. Don't over mix.

Pour the contents on a clean work surface and form 2 equal sized balls. Work quickly to make the balls come together. Your hands are hot and if you over work the dough, you will melt the butter.

Wrap the balls individually with plastic wrap and flatten the balls to make a disk. Wrap the 2 disks well and put them immediately back in the fridge for at least an hour, then you can roll it out.

It will keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days. I guess you can freeze the other disk, but I haven't had success with freezing dough.

I recommend pre-baking the dough, but it is not required. If you do pre-bake, make a foil ring to protect the edges from burning.

If you follow the recipe, I would suggest a little less lemon zest. When you eat it fresh the lemon zest is a touch overpowering, but the next day you don't even notice. It is your call. Let me know how it turns out!