Blueberry Custard Pie with Buttery Pecan Streusel

Memorial Day weekend. I drove to Oak Lawn on Saturday. Steve grilled — the same configuration as every year, same fork, same flip-once rule, same brats and burgers. Patty had made pasta salad. Matt and Danielle drove down from Springfield again. We sat in the backyard under the tree and it was hot and easy and good. I noticed the house differently from the outside now — as a place I had left rather than a place I was in. It is still home. But it is home the way a home you have moved away from is home: you belong there and you are also making a different place belong to you.

Babcia Rose came over. She looked well — better than at Christmas, where she had fallen asleep in the chair. She ate a plate of food and had opinions about the brats (too long on the grill, slightly, but she said nothing directly and accepted Steve's rebuttal that she had not been standing at the grill). She asked me about the apartment and I described the kitchen and she said "Does it have a window?" I said yes. She said "Good. You need a window to cook properly." This is now a rule I am living by.

Made a Memorial Day pie for the family: blueberry, with fresh blueberries from Jewel on sale for two dollars a pint. Double crust from scratch, blueberries tossed with sugar and a little cornstarch and lemon zest. Baked at 425 for fifteen, then 350 for forty. The crust came out golden. Steve had two slices and said "Good pie." From Steve, about pie, in public: that is a rave review. I am including it in the blog post I am writing about the Memorial Day pie. "My dad said: good pie." That is the whole review I need.

Drove back to Pilsen on Sunday afternoon in the summer light on the Stevenson, the container of leftover potato salad in the passenger seat. The city coming back around me. My street, my building, the light in my kitchen. Good pie and good soup and a window in the kitchen to cook by. Enough. More than enough.

I’ve been thinking about what to do with a two-dollar pint of blueberries and a kitchen with a window, and this is the answer: the blueberry custard pie with buttery pecan streusel I brought to Oak Lawn, the one that got the review. The custard filling gives the blueberries something to settle into, and the pecan streusel on top does the work the double crust was doing in my head — it keeps everything grounded and a little crunchy and exactly right for a backyard in May. If you’re making it for people you love who will not tell you it’s good unless it is, this is the one to make.

Prep Time: 25 min | Cook Time: 55 min | Total Time: 1 hr 20 min | Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the crust:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cold and cubed
3–4 tablespoons ice water
For the custard filling:
2 cups fresh blueberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the pecan streusel:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold and cubed
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Make the crust. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in cold butter with a pastry cutter or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Shape into a disk, wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat and roll. Preheat oven to 425°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a 12-inch circle. Fit into a 9-inch pie dish, trim and crimp the edges, and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Make the streusel. Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Cut in cold butter until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in chopped pecans. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Make the custard filling. In a large bowl, whisk together granulated sugar and cornstarch. Add eggs, sour cream, vanilla extract, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Whisk until smooth. Gently fold in blueberries.
Assemble. Pour the blueberry custard filling into the prepared chilled crust. Sprinkle the pecan streusel evenly over the top.
Bake. Bake at 425°F for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F and bake for an additional 40–45 minutes, until the custard is set and the streusel is deep golden. If the edges of the crust brown too quickly, cover them with foil or a pie shield.
Cool completely. Transfer to a wire rack and let the pie cool for at least 2 hours before slicing. The custard needs time to fully set.

Nutrition (per serving)

Blueberry Custard Pie with Buttery Pecan Streusel — The Pie Steve Called Good