Silver James

I know it’s hot in our half of the hemisphere and you might not want to heat up the kitchen but it bakes at only 350 and not for very long. You end up with a creamy, summery delight that’s perfect for sitting in the shade and reading a book. Preferably, one of mine, especially since all my books on Smashwords are still for sale at 50% off until the end of July. Conversely, it’s a cozy treat for those of you waaay down south where it’s winter. Wherever you are, y’all know the drill to get to my books. Either click on the pic or use the QR code on your phone. Happy nomming and reading. Enjoy!

Lemon Blueberry Pie

Recipe details
Yield
8 servings
Time spent:
Prep time: 30 Minutes
Cook time: 30 Minutes
Total time: 1 hr

Ingredients
Blueberry Swirl
2 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
1/2 cup fresh blueberries
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
Shortbread Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour unbleached
1/2 cup powdered sugar packed
1 Tbsp cornstarch
8 Tbsp unsalted butter softened to room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract pure
1 pinch sea salt fine

Lemon Filling
14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lemon juice freshly squeezed
2 tsp lemon zest
2 large egg yolks

Instructions
Blueberry Swirl
1 – Add cornstarch and lemon juice to a small bowl. Stir until combined and cornstarch has dissolved.
2 – Pour cornstarch mixture into a small saucepan over medium heat. Add blueberries and sugar then stir gently while mashing blueberries with the backside of a spoon until sauce thickens–approximately 5 minutes.
3 – Strain blueberry sauce through a fine mesh sieve then cool sauce to room temperature. (Note: only the strained sauce will be used for the swirl, but feel free to garnish pie slices with the blueberries remaining in the strainer.)

Shortbread Crust
1 – Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2 – Pulse crust ingredients in a food processor until a soft dough forms.
3 – Using your fingers, press shortbread dough into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch pie plate until evenly packed.
4 – Bake for 15 minutes or until lightly golden brown then remove from oven to add lemon filling.

Lemon Filling
1 – Combine sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, lemon zest and egg yolks in a large mixing bowl then whisk until combined.
2 – Pour lemon filling onto warm shortbread crust.
3 – Drop small dollops of blueberry sauce onto lemon filling and swirl gently with a chopstick or butter knife.
4 – Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until center is just set and no longer jiggly. Do not overbake.
5 – Place pie plate on a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
6 – Chill in the refrigerator for a minimum of 2 hours before serving. (Mine chilled overnight.)
7 – For best results, allow pie to come to room temperature for 30 minutes before slicing. This allows the shortbread crust time to soften.
8 – Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator up to 5 days.