Growing up in Santa Fe, Karina Lira watched her mother make elaborate cakes for quinceañeras and weddings. She was often enlisted as the dishwasher for those projects. Eventually, Karina got to help with the preparations, which led her to the Santa Fe Culinary Arts Program, where she recently graduated. In the interim, she has worked as a pastry chef at Four Seasons Rancho Encantado, and now at Harry’s Roadhouse, where she makes scads of layer cakes and pies, like the luscious blueberry she prepared for us. When she’s not baking, she loves hiking around her Rio Rancho neighborhood with her husband and their dog, Deebo.
Blueberry Pie Recipe
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Karina Lira’s Blueberry Pie
- Yield: Makes a 9-inch pie 1x
Ingredients
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For the Pie Crust:
- 2½ cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
- 2 tsp kosher salt or ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar, optional
- 1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 cup lard or shortening, chilled
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 4–6 tbsp ice water, or more as needed or just until dough comes together
For the Pie Filling:
- 30 oz blueberries
- ¾–1 cup granulated sugar
- 5 tbsp cornstarch
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 2 lemons, zested and juiced
For the Garnish:
- 1 egg white, beaten
- Granulated sugar
Instructions
For the Pie Crust:
- Add 1½ cups flour, salt, and sugar to a food processor. Pulse until combined.
- Add butter cubes over flour and again process until all butter is coated in flour. Scrape bowl, redistribute the flour-butter mixture then add remaining 1 cup of flour. Pulse until flour is evenly distributed. Add the lard or shortening and continue the same process.
- Transfer to a medium bowl then add beaten egg, sprinkle ice water over mixture — start with 2 tbsp and add from there. Using a rubber spatula, press the dough into itself. The crumbs should begin to form larger clusters. If you pinch some of the dough and it holds together, it’s ready. If the dough falls apart, add 2 to 4 more tbsp of water and continue to press until dough comes together.
- Remove dough from bowl and place in a mound on a clean surface. Work the dough just enough to form a ball, then pat into 2 fat disks. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to a day.
- Roll dough into two large circles, about an inch larger than the 9-inch pie plate. Grease the pie plate. Arrange one round of dough in the pie plate, avoiding stretching it.
For the Pie Filling:
- Combine all ingredients. Add the filling to the pie crust.
- Cut the second piece of dough into 10 strips and place on top of filling, creating a lattice. Seal and crimp the edges.
For the Garnish:
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Brush the top with egg white, and sprinkle with sugar. Bake until the center begins to bubble and the bottom crust is fully cooked, 45-55 minutes. Cool fully before slicing.
Recipe by Karina Lira
Story by Cheryl Alters Jamison
Photography by Tira Howard
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