No Bake Blueberry Custard Pie

This pie is so tasty! I love all the fresh fruit with the creamy filling, paired with a crunchy graham cracker crust. It's a sure-to-please pie for any time of the year! This is what you'll need for a 9" pie:

Photo byMichael

Ingredients:

Crust:

• 11 graham cracker sheets
• 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
• 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Vanilla Custard:

• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream (or use more whole milk instead)
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 Tablespoons cold butter

Blueberry Filling:

• 1 lb fresh or frozen blueberries
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Graham Base:

Add the graham crackers and sugar to a food processor and pulse until fine crumbs form. If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the crackers manually using a rolling pin or the back of a spoon in a sealed plastic bag.

Next, blend in the melted butter until the mixture becomes thick and crumbly.

Firmly press the mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, using your fingers or the bottom of a measuring cup to press it evenly along the bottom and up the sides of the pan.

Refrigerate the crust for at least 30 minutes to help it firm up before adding your filling. (If you would like a crispier crust, you can bake it for about 7-9 minutes at 375 degrees, but it's not required to make this).

Custard:

Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan over medium heat until steaming. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, sugar, and salt until smooth.

In a separate medium saucepan, create a slurry by combining 2 tablespoons of cold water with the cornstarch. Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt to the pan. Stir regularly as the mixture heats up over medium-low heat. Once it boils, it will thicken and become jelly-like. Allow it to boil for around 2 minutes, stirring continuously to ensure the cornstarch cooks through, then remove from the heat. Let the mixture cool for about 10 minutes.

Slowly drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking constantly to combine. Pour the mixture back into the saucepan and return it to medium heat. Whisk continuously as it thickens and begins to boil. Once thick, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for an additional two minutes, whisking throughout.

Remove from heat and whisk in the cold butter until smooth. Pour the custard into a bowl, press plastic wrap onto the surface to prevent a skin from forming on the custard. Refrigerate for about 30-45 minutes.

Blueberry Topping:

While the custard is cooling, combine 2 tablespoons of cold water with the cornstarch in a medium-sized saucepan over medium low heat, stirring until it forms a smooth slurry.

Add the blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, zest, vanilla, and salt to the mixture. Stir occasionally as the mixture begins to warm.

Once the mixture starts to boil, it will thicken, becoming jelly-like and clear. Allow it to boil for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure the cornstarch is fully cooked and the filling maintains its thickness.

Remove the saucepan from the heat and let the blueberry filling cool for about 10 minutes.

While blueberry filling is cooling, transfer the cooling custard into the graham cracker crust. Then, once the blueberry mixture has cooled enough, spoon it over the prepared custard.

Place the pie back in the refrigerator and chill for at least 5 hours or overnight to set fully. Then slice and enjoy as is or with some whipped cream on the top!