Spiced Blueberry Pie Recipes

SPICED BLUEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Mix 2 1/2 cups flour, 1 tablespoons sugar, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a large bowl. Drop in 7 tablespoons butter and the shortening. Using your hands, a fork, a pastry blender, or two knives, work butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles cornmeal with some pea-size pieces.
• Using a fork, quickly stir in 1/2 cup very cold water. Turn chunks of dough and crumbs onto a clean surface. Knead just until dough starts to hold together, 5 to 10 times. Divide dough in half and pat each half into a 6-in. disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill 15 minutes or up to overnight.
• Put an oven rack on the lowest rung. Preheat oven to 375°. Unwrap one disk of dough and put on a floured surface. Roll into a 12-in. circle (about 1/8-in. thick), turning 90° after each pass of the rolling pin to keep it from sticking. Transfer to a 9-in. pie pan, letting the dough fall into place (if you push or stretch it into place, it will shrink back when baked). Trim dough edges to 1/4 inches past rim of pie pan. Cover with plastic wrap and chill 15 minutes. Meanwhile, roll out second disk into an 11-in. circle. Cut into ten 1-in.-wide strips. Transfer to a baking sheet, cover with plastic wrap, and chill 15 minutes.
• While crusts chill, mix remaining flour, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, the brown sugar, tapioca, remaining salt, the cinnamon, pepper, nutmeg, and cloves in a bowl. Add blueberries and lemon juice; toss. Taste and add more granulated sugar (up to 1/4 cup), if you like. Pour berry mixture into crust and dot with remaining butter.
• To weave a lattice crust, lay 5 strips of pie dough vertically across pie, spacing evenly. Take the top of every other strip and fold it back halfway. Lay a strip horizontally across center of pie, next to folds of vertical strips. Unfold vertical strips back over horizontal strip. Fold back vertical strips that were left flat last time, and repeat with a second horizontal strip, placing it above first strip (away from you). Repeat with a third horizontal strip above second. Repeat this process on lower half of pie, using remaining 2 strips of dough.
• Fold bottom crust edge up over top crust and crimp edges together. Bake until crust is browned and filling is bubbling in the center, 60 to 75 minutes. Cover edge with strips of foil if browning too quickly. Let cool until bottom of pie pan is room temperature.

SPICED BLUEBERRY JAMMIN'

Steps:

• For the jam: Place blueberries in saucepan over medium-low heat. Sprinkle with pectin followed by the anise, nutmeg, lemon juice and vinegar. Once liquid starts to gather in bottom of pan, increase the heat to high and bring to a boil. Lower heat slightly and boil gently for five minutes occasionally mashing mixture. Mash in sugar, add the water and return to a boil for 1 minute. You just made jam. Cool, jar, refrigerate and enjoy within 2 weeks. Or, move to the preserving phase. Preserving the jam: Thoroughly wash all hardware in hot soapy water. Then pile everything (excluding the jar lids) into the pot. Cover with hot water by at least 1-inch and bring to a boil and maintain for 10 full minutes to sterilize. Turn off the heat, wait 5 minutes then add the lids (waiting will insure that the sealing compound does not melt). Leave all hardware in the pot until you're ready to can.
• Remove the ladle, tongs, funnel and other tools from the pot, (careful please, it's hot in there) to a clean towel or paper towels. Using the jar tongs, remove and drain the jars, placing them on the towel/paper towel surface. (Avoid rock or metal surfaces which could result in thermal shock and breakage.)
• Place the funnel in the first jar (pick it up by the ring, avoiding the sterile interior.) Use the ladle to fill each jar just to the bottom of the funnel, about 1/3-inch from the bottom of the jar threads. This "headspace" is necessary for the jars to seal during processing.
• Wipe the jar rims with a moist paper towel, checking for any cracks or irregularities as you go. Use the magnetized device of your choice to position lids on each jar. Screw the rings on finger tight. (Remember, the rings don't seal the jars they only hold the lids in place. Heat will drive out the headspace air, which when cooled will create a vacuum, thus sealing the jars)
• Return the jars to the pot being certain that they don't touch the bottom of the pot or each other. (If you don't have a jar rack, try a round cake rack, or metal mesh basket. Even a folded kitchen towel on the pot bottom will do in a pinch.) Add additional water if necessary to cover the jars by at least an inch, and bring to a hard boil over high heat according to the table below. (Be sure not to start your timer until a true boil is reached. The headroom air may bubble out of the jars before a boil is reached. Don't be fooled.)
• Processing times: Within 1,000 feet of sea level: 5 minutes 1,000 - 3,000 feet above sea level: 10 minutes 3,001- 6,000 feet above sea level: 15 minutes 6,000 - 8,000 feet above sea level: 20 minutes Above 8,000 feet: wait until you're back down at base camp.
• Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown

SPICED BLUEBERRY JAM

Steps:

• Remove any stems from berries. Crush fruit 1 layer at a time. Measure 2 1/4 cups, packed solidly, if necessary, add water to make up amount, pour into very large saucepan or dutch oven.
• Add lemon juice, sugar and spices, mixing well. Bring to a full rolling boil, stirring 1 minute Remove from heat and immediately stir in pectin.
• Ladle into hot jelly glasses or jars. Water bath can 10 minutes at 1000 feet. Remove from canner, cool and test lids.