Mom's Fresh Blueberry Pie

There's nothing better than an afternoon cup of tea, a good book and

a piece of fresh blueberry pie!  I came across this recipe in my mom's old Betty Crocker cookbook.  It's her handwriting indeed.  While you can choose the type of berry you use, I decided upon Maine blueberries.

The recipe calls for 1 cup of berries but I like a full pie so I used two.  You'll also need 1/2 cup of water, 1 cup of sugar and 3 1/2 teaspoons of cornstarch.

For this particular pie, you'll need to make 1 pie crust ahead of time.

Begin with 1 cup of all purpose flour.  Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  "Sift" mixture with a fork.  Add 1/3 cup of shortening and 1 tablespoon of butter.  "Cut in" shortening and butter until the mixture resembles small pea size pieces.

Add 2 tablespoons of cold water.

Mix until wet.

I like to get out my pastry cloth and rolling pin at this point.  I find that using a cover on my rolling pin really helps keep dough from sticking.  If you don't have one, be sure to flour your surface and rolling pin.

Shape into a ball and slightly flatten so you can begin rolling.

When rolled to a size appropriate to your pie dish, sprinkle with a little more flour.

Fold over and sprinkle a bit more.  Fold one more time and transfer to your pie dish.  This method makes it easier to move your crust without breaking it.

Gently....

....unfold in the pie dish.

Trim your uneven edges.

Although my mom always pinched the edge between her fingers, using a fork is another easy way to make a decorative edge.  Just fold the crust over and press with a fork.

Before baking at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown, prick your crust with a fork in order to keep it from shrinking during baking.

Let cool and it's ready for the berries!

While you're waiting for the crust to cool, it's a great time to rinse the berries and pull off any stems or leaves.

In a small saucepan, stir together the water, sugar and cornstarch. 

Cook mixture until thick.  Stir until clear.

Fill shell with berries

and cover with cooled sauce!

This pie went very fast; this is all that's left!