Blueberry Sambuca Pie Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400˚ F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
• Mix the blueberries, 1/2 cup of sugar, the flour, lemon zest, lemon juice and Cassis in a large bowl. Carefully ease one pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate, making sure not to stretch the dough or it will shrink as the pie bakes. With a sharp knife, cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Spoon the blueberry mixture into the pie shell, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula to be sure you include all the juices.
• Brush the edge of the crust with the egg wash. Carefully lay the second crust on top, again easing - not stretching - it onto the pie. Cut the excess dough off at the edge of the pie plate. Press the edges together with a dinner fork or crimp with your fingers. Brush the top crust with the egg wash, cut three slits for steam to escape and sprinkle with sugar.
• Place the pie on the prepared sheet pan and bake in the middle of the oven for 45 to 50 minutes, until the filling is very bubbly and the crust is nicely browned. Allow to cool and serve warm or at room temperature.
• Cut the butter in 1/2-inch dice and return it to the refrigerator while you prepare the flour mixture. Place the flour, sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade and pulse a few times to mix. Add the butter and shortening and pulse 10 to 12 times, until the butter is the size of peas. With the machine running, pour the ice water down the feed tube and pulse the machine until the dough begins to form a ball. Dump the dough out on a floured board and turn it into a ball. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough in half. Roll each piece out on a well-floured board into a 12- to 13-inch circle, rolling from the center to the edge, turning and flouring the dough to make sure it doesn't stick to the board.

Steps:

• In medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and the salt. Cut in shortening, using pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans side of bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
• Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
• Heat oven to 425°F. With floured rolling pin, roll one round into round 2 inches larger than upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.
• In large bowl, mix sugar, 1/2 cup flour and the cinnamon. Stir in blueberries. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle any remaining sugar mixture over blueberry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over blueberries. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
• Bake 35 to 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Cool on cooling rack at least 2 hours.

Steps:

• To prepare the custard, whisk together the eggs, sugar and cornstarch in a medium saucepan. Add the milk in a slow stream while whisking constantly over medium heat. Continue whisking or stirring until the mixture just begins to boil. Remove from heat and add the vanilla, stirring well.
• Working quickly while the custard is hot, assemble the pie. Pour the Sambuca into a flat bottomed bowl. Spread a layer of custard in the bottom of the pie crust. Dip the Social Tea Biscuits individually into the Sambuca turning to coat both sides. Place a layer of biscuits on the hot custard, breaking the biscuits if necessary to fill in any large gaps. Continue layering custard and biscuits ending with custard (it's about 3 layers of custard to 2 layers of biscuits). You will not use the whole box.
• Top the pie with a generous splatter of sprinkles. Using a vegetable peeler, place long curls of chocolate on top as well, if desired.
• Chill pie without cover until set, about 45 minutes.
• Variations: By changing the flavors of liqueur, cookies and/or custard many different but equally delicious pies can be created. A Frangelico-flavored pie in a prepared chocolate crumb crust is great! Use chocolate wafers and chocolate cookies and it tastes like a Bacci hazelnut candy. The combinations are limited only by your imagination and the contents of your liqueur cabinet!

Steps:

• For the crust: Pulse the flour, granulated sugar and salt in a food processor. Add a third of the butter and process until combined. Add the remaining butter and pulse until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 3 times. Add the vinegar and pulse again twice. Gradually pour in 1/3 cup ice water, pulsing about 4 times until combined. Turn onto a clean surface and press into a cohesive dough without overworking (you should see bits of butter). Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and press into a 1-inch-thick disk. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before rolling out.
• For the filling: Simmer 3 cups of the blueberries with 1/2 cup of the light brown sugar and 2 tablespoons water until the mixture reduces by half, about 20 minutes. Pour into a bowl and stir in the remaining 4 cups blueberries, the remaining 1/2 cup light brown sugar, the tapioca, sambuca, lemon juice, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Let cool completely.
• For the assembly: Divide the chilled dough in half and put 1 piece back in the refrigerator. Roll the other piece into a 12-inch-round, 1/8-inch-thick circle on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough onto a rolling pin, then unroll it into a 9-inch glass pie plate, letting it hang over the edge. Add the filling and dot the top with the butter. Roll out the other piece of dough and place over the filling. Press the crust edges together and trim, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Roll up or pinch the overhang to seal.
• Wrap an oiled, wide band of foil around the pie edge to protect the crust. Make 5 small slashes in the top of the crust from the center out, to make a star (similar to a star anise). Chill for 30 minutes.
• Place a foil-lined baking sheet on a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
• When the pie is chilled, reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees F, put the pie on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil band and continue to bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Cool completely before slicing.

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Mix sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon, and sprinkle over blueberries.
• Line pie dish with one pie crust. Pour berry mixture into the crust, and dot with butter. Cut remaining pastry into 1/2 - 3/4 inch wide strips, and make lattice top. Crimp and flute edges.
• Bake pie on lower shelf of oven for about 50 minutes, or until crust is golden brown.