What’s more American than apple pie? Blueberry pie! It’s true. Like most Americans, the ancestors of the apples we eat today were not native to North America. America’s only native apple is the crabapple. All other varieties were brought from Europe or refined here. But blueberries are native only to North America and were brought to Europe. Not that I’m judging, I love both. But you don’t have to peel blueberries for a pie!

I saw a twist on the regular blueberry pie years ago on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. I was intrigued enough to immediately try it. It sounds disgusting – blueberries, goat cheese and basil. But who knew, it is fabulous. There is just enough sweet to cut the tartness of the goat cheese and the basil gives is a slightly exotic taste.

If you go on the internet today, almost every recipe for Blueberry Goat Cheese Pie is exactly the same as the one given to Food Network by Moira Sommers, from 3 Sisters Café in Indianapolis, Indiana. Many sites don’t give credit for it, but they are all the exact same recipe. My recipe only differs in the pie crust, because I refuse to make homemade pie crusts. That would take more time that the entire rest of the recipe. I can rarely eat a whole slice of this pie because it is so rich. So I’ve also added alternatives to a whole pie, with a tartlet and a party dip.

So if you happen upon fresh blueberries this month, and want to try something new with them, grab some goat cheese and basil while shopping. Be aware, I made a single recipe to cover all three possibly options of a pie, tartlet and dip. Your pie will be much taller than mine and tartlets will be more full.

Ingredients:

1 pie crust of your choosing (I hate making pie crusts. Pillsbury is good for me!)

Filling:

• 5 cups of blueberries
• ½ cup goat cheese (if this is too strong for you, you can use 1/2 cream cheese)
• 1 Tablespoon of fresh finely chopped basil
• ¼ cup flour
• ½ cup heavy cream
• ½ cup brown sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 egg

Topping:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• ½ cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Directions:

Finely chop the basil.

Combine goat cheese, brown sugar, egg, flour, cream, salt and basil with a mixer. A mixer makes it easier to mix in the cheese. I like the goat cheese mixed throughout the pie. Some recipes say to stir the ingredients, which will leave you with chunks of goat cheese. If you like that, go with it.

In a separate bowl, stir together the melted butter, almonds and sugar for the topping.

For Pie:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pie crust in a 10” pie pan. Poke the crust several times with a fork. Bake for 15 minutes.

Rinse blueberries, pick off any stems and florets and place blueberries in the pie crust. Pour the cheese filling all over the blueberries. Spread the almond topping over the top of the blueberry mixture.

Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the crust is nicely brown and the filling only jiggles slightly.

For Tartlets:

Thaw and roll out 3 sheets of puff pastry dough. Cut each sheet into 9 even squares.

Place each square into a lined cupcake tin (no need to grease). Fill each pastry cup to the breaking point with blueberries then spoon in cheese filling to cover blueberries and top with the almond topping. If you have extra blueberries or filling, make a dip (see below)! Bake until tart dough is golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. They should easily release from the cupcake liners.

For dip:

Pour all the blueberries into a heavily buttered pie or large quiche dish. Pour filling over the blueberries and cover with the topping. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, until the filling is only slightly jiggly. Serve with graham crackers!

Recipe makes one pie, or 27 tartlets, or one pie dish full of dessert dip. Enjoy!

Leslie Gayle

Leslie is a one time CPA, wife and mom of twins. She’s an over thinker who loves karate, thunder, and travel. Her sweatpants are yoga pants and she takes her coffee with milk.

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