Decorative Blueberry Pie

1. Pie Dough Method — Prepare each dough batch separately. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, powdered sugar, and salt. For the blue, purple, and green batches, whisk the appropriate natural color powder thoroughly into the dry ingredients before adding the fat. Add the cold butter and Crisco. Mix on low speed just until the fats are broken into mostly small, pea-sized pieces with some flattened pieces remaining. Do not cream the fat into the flour. Combine the cold milk and apple cider vinegar. With the mixer on its lowest speed, gradually drizzle in the smaller amount of milk listed for the batch. Stop mixing as soon as the dough begins forming shaggy clumps. Add only enough additional milk for the dough to hold together when squeezed. Turn the dough onto a clean work surface and gently press it together by hand. Do not knead until smooth. Flatten each dough into a disc, wrap tightly, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably 2 hours.

2. Blueberry Filling Method — Place approximately 4 cups of the frozen blueberries in a saucepan with the sugar, lemon juice, salt, and lemon zest, if using. Cook over medium heat until the berries begin releasing plenty of juice. Gently mash a small portion of the berries, leaving most of them intact. In a small bowl, mix the cornstarch with a small amount of cold blueberry liquid or 1–2 tablespoons cold water until completely smooth. Stir the cornstarch slurry into the hot blueberries. Bring the filling to a bubbling simmer while stirring and cook for approximately 1–2 minutes after it visibly thickens. Remove from the heat and fold in the remaining frozen blueberries and vanilla, if using. Cool completely, then refrigerate until cold. The finished filling should be thick enough to mound on a spoon rather than pour.

3. Par-Baked Bottom Crust — Roll a portion of the white dough to approximately 1/8 inch thick. Fit it into a 9-inch pie dish without stretching the dough. Trim and shape the edge as desired. Refrigerate the prepared shell for 30 minutes. Heat the oven to 375°F. Line the chilled crust with parchment paper and fill completely with pie weights or dry beans, making sure the weights support the sides. Bake for 15–18 minutes. Carefully remove the parchment and weights. Return the crust to the oven for another 4–6 minutes, just until the bottom looks dry and set but has not developed significant color. Lightly brush the bottom of the crust with egg white and return it to the oven for 1–2 minutes. This creates a thin moisture barrier between the crust and blueberry filling. Cool completely before filling.

4. Rolling and Cutting the Decorative Dough — Roll the chilled white, blue, purple, and green doughs approximately 1/8 inch thick.

5. For the Lattice — Cut 2 strips from each color approximately 1 1/2 inches wide. These wider strips will form the primary lattice pattern.

6. For Braids and Narrow Lattice Pieces — Cut 6–8 strips from each color approximately 1/2 inch wide. Use these strips for braids, narrow lattice accents, and additional small decorative pieces. Transfer all strips to parchment-lined trays and refrigerate for approximately 15–30 minutes, until firm but still flexible.

7. Decorative Motifs: Green Leaves — Use the green dough to cut small leaves. A small leaf-shaped cookie or pastry cutter works best. If a leaf cutter is unavailable, one may be fashioned from a clean food-safe tin can, but use extreme caution when handling cut metal because the edges can be extremely sharp. A commercially made cutter is the safer option.

8. Decorative Motifs: Blueberries — Use the blue and purple doughs to create small decorative blueberries. Pinch off small pieces of dough and roll them into berry-sized balls. Slightly flatten them if desired. Use the tip of a skewer, small knife, or similar tool to gently create a small star-shaped indentation at the top of each berry. Using both blue and purple berries gives the finished cluster more variation and dimension.

9. Decorative Motifs: White Flowers — Use the plain white dough to cut or shape small flowers. Keep the flowers relatively delicate so they complement the lattice rather than competing with it. Once all decorative pieces are shaped, place them on parchment-lined trays and refrigerate until ready to assemble.

10. Braids — Use the 1/2-inch strips to create the braided border. For easiest handling, braid the dough while it is cool but still pliable. Place finished braids on parchment and refrigerate for 15–30 minutes before transferring them to the pie. Two or three shorter braids are generally easier to curve around the perimeter than one very long braid. Any joins can later be concealed beneath leaves, blueberries, or flowers.

11. Pie Assembly — Spoon the completely chilled blueberry filling into the completely cooled par-baked pie shell. Arrange the chilled lattice strips over the filling. Use the wide and narrow strips together to create a varied woven pattern rather than a completely uniform lattice. Trim the lattice strips neatly so the ends reach just to the inside edge of the par-baked crust. Use very small dabs of water or egg white to tack the lattice ends to the crust where needed. Arrange the chilled braids around the perimeter of the pie, allowing them to overlap both the edge of the par-baked crust and the ends of the lattice strips. Add the decorative leaves, blueberries, and flowers. For the intended composition, concentrate the largest group of motifs toward the lower-left portion of the pie. Create a much smaller echo of the same motifs toward the upper-right. Leave much of the remaining lattice visible so the braid and woven crust remain the dominant design elements.

12. Use tiny touches of water to adhere decorative pieces where necessary. Once fully assembled, refrigerate the entire pie for 20–30 minutes. This final chill helps the butter and Crisco firm again after handling and improves shape retention during baking. It also gives very crisp definition for prebake photography.

13. Baking — Heat the oven to 375°F. Bake the chilled assembled pie for approximately 40–50 minutes, or until the crust is fully baked and the blueberry filling is bubbling through the openings in the lattice. Begin checking around 35 minutes. Because preserving the pale crust and natural colors is important, avoid a traditional egg wash on the visible decorative dough. The crust may be left completely unwashed, or brushed extremely lightly with milk or cream for a soft matte finish. If the braid, lattice, or decorative motifs begin developing more color than desired before the pie is finished, loosely shield those areas with foil.

14. Cooling — Allow the baked pie to cool completely before slicing, at least 4 hours.