Blueberry was my father's favorite pie,and Darby was his name. It makes me happy when I bake it and remember him. He would have loved this!

This version starts with frozen wild blueberries. See why, below!

Darby Blueberry Pie (from frozen berries)

Prep Time: 50 minutes
Baking Time: 65+ minutes
Serves: 7
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Ingredients

Pastry for double crust deep dish 9" pie.

Filling:

6 c. frozen wild blueberries (partially defrosted)
7/8 c. sugar or to taste
3.5 T. "Instant Clearjel Pie Thickener" (see note below)
1/2 t. finely grated lemon zest or 1 t. oranze zest
1 t. lemon juice
1 T. Cointreau liquor or orange juice
dash salt
2 T. butter
optional glaze: 1 egg beaten with 1/4 c. half and half

Directions

1. Partially defrost the berries, saving the juice.

2. When the berries are mostly defrosted, preheat the oven to 400.

3. Line the bottom of your deep-dish pie plate with the bottom crust and refrigerate.

2. Mix together the sugar, Clear Gel/tapioca, zest, lemon juice, Cointreau/juice and salt in a large bowl.

3. Mash 1/2 c. of the blueberries into the sugar mixture, then stir in the rest of the whole berries.

4. Fill the pastry shell with the berry mix and dot with butter.

5. Add top crust, trim, seal and crimp. Apply glaze if you're using one, then cut slits to vent the top.

6. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, then reduce heat to 375 to finish baking (about a total of 65 minutes or longer) until golden. It will take longer than most pies because of the berries being cold. Add a crust protector if needed.

Baker’s Notes and Tips and Tricks

Baker's notes: I have found that frozen, wild blueberries are reliably much more flavorful! They're tiny and, to me, make a more delicious pie than the bigger, "regular" berries you find in the grocery aisle. Just be sure to get the "wild" frozen ones!

Also, the "Instant Clearjel" is a thickener from King Arthur Baking Co. I love it! It thickens pies beautifully. You can substitute 4 T. cornstarch.