Bite-Size Blueberry Pies

Because you love me but you just don't know it yet, I give you bite-size blueberry pies! I thought I was so clever when I came up with this. Miniaturize something - how original! I thought I was even more clever with my inadvertent alliteration when I listened to Brothers by the Black Keys while making bite-size blueberry pies (followed by a sigh and a moment of deep self-loathing).

I took these pies to Shakespeare in the Park, solving the age-old problem of how to include pie on a picnic menu without making a mess. I may use this recipe for pies that I can ship to friends in other cities as gifts (don't get your hopes up, guys).  

I used my tried-and-true crust recipe, seen here. I wasn't sure how the proportions would turn out, so I made enough dough and enough filling for one pie. I ended up with leftover filling, so my recipe below adjusts the blueberries and other ingredients to the right amount. Fortunately, the additional filling allowed me to try this recipe twice in one week.

First, I brushed the mini cupcake tins with melted butter. 

Next, I rolled out the dough, used a glass to cut it into rounds, and pressed them into the cupcake tins.

Then I made the filling and filled the tins to the edge so that they were full but not overflowing. And I morphed into a wannabe Martha Stewart and made teeny-tiny lattice crusts.

But my Marthaesque perfectionism was thwarted when they came out looking like this! I was convinced they were ruined and was deeply saddened by my mini pie failure!  

Reeling over my first world problems, I was delighted that they came out of the tins looking like this:

The lattice crust pies were yummy - sweet, tart, and flaky - but there was not quite enough filling in them. Obviously, some was lost when the filling overflowed. To prevent this, next time I will use more constarch or switch to tapioca. I may also mash the blueberries a bit so they will not explode, as I'm convinced that has something to do with the filling overflowing.

Two days later, I tried again with the leftover filling, which I did not alter. This time I opted for a single crust on top rather than a lattice crust. I thought this might help with the overflowing problem. This mitigated the problem but had some collateral consequences, seen below. 

I brushed the pies with egg whites, as I did with the lattice pies, but I forgot to sprinkle them with sugar. The sugar on top is important - it adds a sweet crunch, which is nice because these will probably not be served with ice cream.
   

This batch didn't overflow quite as much, but they ended up being a bit soggy on the bottom. 

These reminded me of Alice in Wonderland.

So I had to add a tiny scoop of ice cream...

Sadly, even though I made these creature-sized delights, the creatures just weren't that into it.

Oh well.

Bite-Size Blueberry Pies

Crust seen here.

Filling: 

3 cups of blueberries

2/3 cup of sugar, plus 1 tablespoon of sugar set aside

3 tablespoons cornstarch or quick-cooking tapioca (this is 1/3 more than I used in the pies shown above)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice 

3/4 teaspoon grated lemon zest

1/8 teaspoon salt 

2-3 tablespoons salted butter, half cut into small pieces and half melted

1 egg, separated

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix blueberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice & rind, and salt. Let stand for 15 minutes. Cut butter and set aside.

Roll out dough to about 1/8 inch or slightly thinner. Cut rounds with a large glass or cookie cutter. Brush pie tins with melted butter, and press dough rounds into the tins. 

Fill the pies until the filling reaches the edge. Do not overfill. Dot each pie with butter, then cover with tiny lattice or single crusts. Brush with egg white and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 20 minutes or until top crust is light brown and filling is bubbly.

Enjoy!