Mini Blueberry Pies

Blueberry season is in full swing! I picked up four pints during my last trip to Trader Joe's — yes, four pints! There are so many applications, both sweet and savory. Add them to pancakes, cook them down to a compote and serve over waffles, add them to muffins, steep in rice vinegar to use as a marinade for pork, and obviously, pie.

When I offered to make a dessert platter for a family party happening this weekend, my mind began whirling with the possibilities. What to make? I wanted to keep it bite-size, so I included a few cookies, brownies, cupcakes and cake pops for the kids. I wanted to include some fruit, too. I didn't want to bring a whole pie. Then, a fellow blogger over at Sing for Your Supper posted Baby Blueberry Pies. Perfect!

The blueberry filling is simple, and lets their flavor really stand out. She also used a sweeter, crisper pie crust similar to pâte sucrée (tart dough). The crunch of the crust is a nice contrast to the smooshiness (it's a technical term) of the baked berries. These are much more labor-intensive than a full-size blueberry pie, but so easy to serve and eat. 

Mini Blueberry Pies
Source: Sing For Your Supper
Crust from Dorie Greenspan

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pints blueberries, rinsed and stems removed
• ⅓ cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon lemon juice
• pinch of salt
• 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• ½ cup confectioners' sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 9 tablespoon very cold unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
• 1 large egg yolk, broken and lightly beaten

Directions

1. Place the sugar, lemon juice, salt, 1 teaspoon flour and cornstarch in a large bowl and stir to combine. Add the blueberries and gently toss to coat. Set aside while you prepare the crust. 
2. Place the 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour, the confectioners sugar and salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to evenly distribute. Add the butter cubes, and pulse several times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. 
3. Add the egg a little at a time, pulsing once or twice after each addition, then run for a few long pulses (about the count of ten) until the dough clumps together. Scrape the dough out onto your work surface, and gently knead a  few times.
4. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Place a heaping tablespoonful of dough into each well of a mini muffin tin. Press it into the bottom and up the sides of the cup. Repeat, filling all the wells. Depending on the thickness of your crust, there may be some dough left over. 
5. Prick the crusts with the tines of a fork (this is called "docking" and prevents the crust from rising too much) and place in the oven to bake for 5 to 7 minutes. 
6. Spoon some of the blueberry mixture into each cup. If you have leftover crust dough, sprinkle it over the blueberries. Bake for 20 minutes. 
7. Let the pies cool in the tins until the pans are cool enough to handle. Then run a thin blade (a paring knife or pointed offset spatula) around the edge of each pie to loosen and lift out.