Happy almost Swedish midsummer! This time last year we were actually in Sweden - staying just out of Stockholm with some good friends of ours. This meant that we were there for midsummer, which was so fun. And so, so rowdy. Shots at lunch time? Yes please. Our friends have an amazing holiday home on the archipelago, and we made a maypole down by the water. I think the day ended with sabering a bottle of champagne using the scoop of the digger. Great fun.
Summer is well and truly here, and I can't think of a better way to celebrate than with Pie (which is my default celebration dessert). I have been wanting to try an earl grey pie crust for a while now, as I firmly believe that if you can infuse it, you can earl grey it. Add it to everything. Name your cat after it. I wanted to keep the tea taste fairly subtle, so I subbed ice water for cold earl grey tea in the crust, and added a little ground tea too. It made the pastry a lovely brown colour, which was delicately scented with the flavour of the tea. I kept it simple with a blueberry filling, which also had some bergamot extract in it to help accentuate the earl grey flavour.
I went for an easy cut-out top - I just rolled out the top crust, cut some holes in it with a small flower shaped cutter, then placed it over the filling and folded the edges over. Super simple, yet super effective.
This post is done in conjunction with a bunch of other bloggers - Organised by the lovely Saghar of Lab Noon, as part of the #virtualmidsummerpotluck4peace blog party. The idea is that we all bring something to a virtual picnic from our cultural background. I was originally going to make a pavlova, but my oven and I don't have the best track record with anything remotely meringue based, so I'm still working on that. I grew up on berry based desserts, and earl grey, so what is better than combining the two! I have listed all of the other bloggers participating at the end of this post.
Things are a little weird and shitty at the moment in the world, and it's more important than ever that we stand as a united front. We have to stand in each other's corners. We are all humans, regardless of what situation, country, race or religion we were born into. Love is most important. That's all there is to it.
A few wee notes:
- The overnight rest on the pastry is more important than usual - you want the earl grey flavour to develop
- Bergamot extract is totally optional, but if you are a die hard earl grey fan like me I highly recommend - it elevates the flavour so nicely, and a little goes a long way
- If the dough gets too warm at any point just pop it back in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to harden up - I made this on a super hot day so did it in stages
Made this recipe and love it?
If you made this recipe then I would LOVE for you to leave me a review below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram if you make it!
A note on salt and oven temperature
It is important to note the type of salt that is called for in a recipe. I use Diamond Crystal salt throughout my recipes - if you use a different sort of kosher salt or regular table salt you will need to adjust accordingly as some salt is 'saltier' than others. Morton's salt is twice as salty, so you will need half the quantity. Same goes for a regular table salt. I am working to get gram measurements throughout my recipes for salt but still getting there.
All oven temperatures are conventional unless otherwise stated. If you are baking on fan / convection, you will need to adjust the temperature. An oven thermometer is a great investment to ensure that your oven is the correct temperature.
Tools and equipment
For a list of my go-to tools and equipment, I have a post you can refer to here.
Why is this recipe in grams?
I post my recipes in grams as it is the most accurate way to bake. Cups are not only inaccurate but they vary in volume worldwide. There is no way for me to provide one cup measure that works for everyone. However, posting in weight fixes this issue. If you would like the recipe in cups you are welcome to convert it yourself via google, but please do not ask me to do it for you as I am not comfortable providing a recipe using a method that I have not tested. Baking with a scale is easy, accurate, and also makes cleanup super simple. Here is the scale that I use if you would like a recommendation! Here's to accurate baking! If you would like to scale this recipe or convert for another pan size, use my calculator!
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Earl grey blueberry pie
- Yield: Makes one 9 inch pie 1x
Description
Earl grey blueberry pie
Ingredients
Pie Dough
- 2 ½ cups (310g) Flour
- Pinch of Salt
- ¼ cup (50g) sugar
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 2 ½ Tbsp finely ground earl grey tea
- 2 sticks (226g) cold butter, cut into cubes
- 1 cup (240ml) strongly brewed earl grey tea, cold
- 1 cup ice
Filling
- 5 cups fresh blueberries (approx. 1 Kg)
- 2 Tbsp (30ml) lemon juice
- ½ cup (100g) sugar
- ½ cup (50g) packed brown sugar
- ½ cup cup (75g) flour
- 1 ½ tsp bergamot extract (optional)
To finish
- 1 large egg
- 1 tsp water
- Turbinado / Raw sugar for sprinkling
Instructions
PIE DOUGH
- Place flour, sugar, ground tea leaves and salt into a large bowl. Cut butter into chunks, and add to the flour. Toss lightly to coat. Working quickly, using a pastry blender or your fingers, cut the butter into the flour mixture until there are only pea-sized chunks left. You want a few lumps of butter remaining to keep the pastry nice and tender.
- Combine brewed tea and, water and ice in a bowl. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of the ice water into the flour and butter mixture, and using a stiff spatula or your hands, mix in well. Continue adding water a tablespoon at a time ( I normally need about 8-10 tbsp) until you have a dough that holds together well, but is not too wet. Squeeze together with your fingertips to make a homogenous dough. Shape into two discs and wrap in plastic wrap. Rest in the fridge for at least two hours, or preferably overnight.
ASSEMBLY AND BAKING
- Roll out one of the discs of dough to slightly larger than your 9" pie dish. Line the dish with the dough, leaving an overhang. Rest in the fridge until ready to fill.
- In a large bowl, combine all of the filling ingredients. Toss well to combine using a spatula. Pour into the prepared dough-lined pie dish.
- Roll out the second disc of dough to slightly larger than the dish. Use a small cutter to cut shapes out of the dough. Place the top crust over the filled pie. Trim any overhang to approx half an inch wider than the dish, then fold both pieces over tightly to form the edge of the pie. Crimp if desired. Rest the pie in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.
- While the pie is resting, preheat the oven to 425˚f / 220˚c. Once the pie has rested, remove from the oven. Brush with egg wash (egg and water whisked together), and sprinkle liberally with raw sugar.
- Place the pie on a baking tray, and place in the oven. Cook for 20 minutes until the dough has set and is beginning to go golden. Reduce the oven temperature to 375˚f / 190˚c, and cook for a further 35-45 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown and the juices are bubbling.
- Remove from the oven and cool on a rack. Eat warm or at room temperature.
You can check out all the other bloggers participating in Potluck for Peace below!
Adventures in Cooking: Strawberry rhubarb pie ice cream sandwiches
An Edible Mosaic: Middle Eastern Spiced Green Beans with Olive Oil and Tomato
Brewing Happiness: Healthy Southern Baked Beans
Cook Til Delicious: Cold Sesame Peanut Noodles
Delicious Not Gorgeous: No Mai Fan
DisplacedHousewife: Strawberry Scone-Cakes With Fresh Orange Blossom Whipped Cream
Donuts, dresses and dirt: Tahini Pavlovas
Floating Kitchen: Blistered Green Beans with Apricots and Chive Blossoms
Ginger & Toasted Sesame: Walnut Bread with Boursin and Prosciutto
Harvest and Honey: Chasing Summer (drink)
Hortus Cuisine: Panino with Roasted Peppers, Pesto & Arugula
On The Plate: Sriracha Scotch Eggs
Ruby Josephine: Halwa d'Tmar (Moroccan Date-Stuffed Cookies)
Tasty Seasons: Grilled Mojito Chicken
Tending the Table: Roasted Cauliflower with Pine Nuts, Parsley and Currants
TermiNatetor Kitchen: Strawberry Shortcakes with Gluten-Free Yogurt Biscuits & Mint Whipped Cream
The Little Epicurean: Halo-Halo (Filipino Shave Ice Dessert)
This Mess Is Ours: Simple Tomato & Avocado Salad
Twigg studios: roasted beet leek and feta quiche
Vermilion Roots: Tofu Salad with Spiced Peanut Sauce
Wood and Spoon: Strawberry Almond Skillet Cake
Does the 1 cup ice mean 1 cup ice water? Or is the brewed tea mixed with the ice?
The lemon zest isn't listed in the pie crust instructions but is in the ingredients.
Hi! So sorry, this is a really really old recipe! The ice gets mixed in with the tea, it's 1 cup ice in with the 1 cup tea which is used for the pie dough. You can add the zest in with the flour in the pie dough 🙂