Filling:
2 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen
2 T. cornstarch
1/3 cup sugar
1 T. lemon juice
Crust:
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 cup butter, very cold
1/2 cup sour cream
6 to 7 T. cold water
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup sparkling sugar or sanding sugar
The filling is so easy: add the blueberries to a small pan and turn the heat on low. Mix the cornstarch and sugar, then pour over the blueberries and stir. Add the lemon juice and continue to stir while the mixture heats and the berries become juicy. Cook for about 5 minutes until the filling thickens, with the blueberries still whole. Set aside to cool. Shortcut: if you don't have blueberries on hand, you can use good quality, thick blueberry jam, like our Persimmon Hill jam.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Stir together the flour, salt and baking powder in a medium sized bowl. Grate the butter (it helps if you put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes prior to grating), then cut in to the flour mixture with a pastry blender or food processor, just until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the sour cream and then add water one tablespoon at a time until the dough holds together. Place on a floured surface and knead a few times until dough is mixed. Take half the dough and roll out on a floured surface until very thin. Cut with floured cutters and place the shapes on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Roll out the second half of the dough and cut out the shapes again. With these, cut a design in the center with a fondant cookie cutter or other small cutter, or cut slits with a knife. To assemble, add about 1 tablespoon of the filling to the center of each of the circles on the cookie sheet. With a brush or your finger, brush the edge of each circle with the beaten egg. Add a top (with the cut-out) crimp the edges together with a fork. When all are assembled, brush the tops of all the pies with the beaten egg and sprinkle with sparkling sugar. (Regular sugar will work, but the sparkling sugar makes them, well, sparkle!). Place on a center rack in the oven and bake for approximately 15 to 18 minutes until the tops are golden brown. You can serve these warm from the oven, or cool and refrigerate or freeze to warm up later. (This recipe is adapted from a recipe on the King Arthur Flour website, which is an awesome website for bakers!)
