Capture the sweetness of summer with these individual desserts. Bursting with fresh blueberries and topped with lemon buttermilk ice cream, the petite pies will satisfy kids and adults alike. The ice cream is a snap to prepare, thanks to our convenient starter.
Recipe courtesy of Williams-Sonoma
Ingredients
- For the ice cream:
- 1 packet vanilla ice cream starter
- 1 1/2 cups cold buttermilk
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 1/2 cups cold heavy cream
- For the pies:
- 1 batch basic pie dough (see related recipe at left)
- 1 pint blueberries, about 12 oz.
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 sheet frozen puff pastry, 9 1/2 inches square, thawed but chilled
- 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 teaspoon water
Preparation
- 1 To make the ice cream, in a large bowl, whisk together the ice cream starter, buttermilk, lemon zest and lemon juice until the mix has dissolved. Stir in the cream. Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Transfer the ice cream to a chilled container, cover and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours or up to 3 days.
- 2 To make the pies, shape the pie dough into a disk and wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours or up to overnight.
- 3 In a saucepan over medium-high heat, combine the blueberries, sugar and cornstarch. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture has thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let the filling cool to room temperature, about 1 hour.
- 4 Preheat a Breville electric pie maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
- 5 Let the dough stand at room temperature for 5 minutes. On a floured surface, roll out the dough disk into a round about 1/8 inch thick. Using the larger side of the circle cutter, cut out 4 rounds. Transfer to the parchment-lined baking sheet.
- 6 Place the puff pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Using the smaller side of the circle cutter, cut out 4 rounds.
- 7 Open the pie maker and assemble 4 pies according to the manufacturer’s instructions, using the larger pie dough rounds for the base of the pies, 1/3 cup filling per pie, and the smaller puff pastry rounds for the top of the pies. Lightly brush the top of the pies with the egg mixture.
- 8 Close the lid on the pie maker, ensuring the latch clicks into place, and bake until the dough is cooked through and golden brown, about 12 minutes. Using a mini-pie lifter or a nonstick spatula, carefully transfer the pies to a wire rack and let cool for 15 to 20 minutes.
- 9 Serve each pie with a scoop of lemon buttermilk ice cream on top. Makes 4 mini pies and about 1 1/2 quarts ice cream.
