Publick House Fresh Blueberry Cream Pie - Sturbridge, MA
The Publick House Fresh Blueberry Cream Pie is a true masterclass in simplicity done right. The secret recipe – passed down through generations of bakers at The Publick House Historic Inn (est 1771) in Sturbridge, Massachusetts – echoes the region’s love for desserts that are simple but profound, where each ingredient is celebrated for what it is. This is our New England Innkeeper approach based on authentic and verified versions of the original Publick House recipe.
Ingredients
For The Crust
- 10 TBSP Unsalted Butter (chilled and divided) (140 grams)
- 1 1/4 CUPS All Purpose Flour (divided) (175 grams)
- 1 TBSP Granulated Sugar (12 grams)
- 1/2 tsp Table Salt (3 grams)
- 1/4 CUP Ice Water (60 grams)
- 1 Egg White
- 1 TBSP Water
For The Pie Filling
- 3 Pints Fresh Blueberries (6 cups OR 340 grams)
- 1 CUP Water (240 grams)
- 1 CUP Granulated Sugar (200 grams)
- 1 tsp Table Salt (6 grams)
- 1/4 CUP Corn Starch (32 grams)
- 1 TBSP Unsalted Butter (14 grams)
For The Stabilized Whipped Cream
- 2 CUPS Heavy Cream (473 grams)
- 1/4 CUP Confectioners Sugar (30 grams)
- 1 TBSP Instant Clearjel (8 grams)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract (4 grams)
Instructions
Make the Pie Crust
- TO PREPARE: Understand, this dough will be a little more moist than you may be used to seeing immediately after mixing. However, chilling will firm it up, making it much easier to handle.
- DIVIDE THE BUTTER: Grate 2 TBSP of chilled butter using large holes of a box grater and place in the freezer. Slice the remaining 8 TBSP of butter into half-inch cubes.10 TBSP Unsalted Butter (chilled and divided)
- PROCESS THE FLOUR AND BUTTER: Combine ¾ cup flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Pulse twice until combined. Add cubed butter and pulse for about 30 seconds, or until a homogeneous paste forms. Break the paste into 2-inch chunks and distribute them evenly around the processor blade. Add the remaining ½ cup flour and pulse 4-5 times, or until the mixture is broken into pieces no larger than 1 inch (most of it will look like smaller crumbs). Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl. Add grated butter (from the freezer) and toss together until the butter pieces are separated and coated with flour."1 1/4 CUPS All Purpose Flour (divided); 1 TBSP Granulated Sugar; 1/2 tsp Table Salt
- FINISH DOUGH: Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water over the dough mixture and toss together with a rubber/silicone spatula until evenly moistened. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the ice water and continue to combine. Press the dough with the spatula until it sticks together. Using the spatula ensures you won't melt the grated butter with the heat of your hands, this will result in a flakier crust. 1/4 CUP Ice Water
- CHILL DOUGH: Transfer the completed pie dough to a sheet of plastic wrap. Seal the dough tightly by drawing the edges of the plastic wrap over it and pressing firmly on the sides and top. Wrap the dough in plastic and flatten it into a smooth and uniform 5-inch disk. Refrigerate the dough for at least 3 hours (or up to 2 days). Before rolling, let the chilled dough sit on the counter to soften slightly for about 10 minutes.
- ROLL OUT DOUGH + TRANSFER TO PIE DISH: Roll the pie dough into a 12-inch circle on a clean and well-floured counter. Wrap the dough loosely around the rolling pin and gently unroll it onto a 9-inch (ceramic or glass) pie dish, leaving approximately a 1-inch overhang around the edge. Gently ease the dough into the full shape of the pie dish by lifting one edge with one hand while pressing the dough down into the bottom with the other.
- CRIMP DOUGH + PREHEAT OVEN: Trim the overhanging pie dough to a uniform 1/2 inch beyond the edge of the dish. Then, fold the overhanging dough under itself, ensuring the folded edge is flush with the edge of the pie dish. Crimp the dough evenly around the edge of the plate using your fingers. Refrigerate the dough-lined pie dish for about 30 minutes until firm. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees, making certain the oven rack is in the middle position.
- PREPARE THE EGG WASH: Add the egg white and the TBSP of water to a small bowl and whisk together to make an egg wash. Set aside on the counter.1 Egg White; 1 TBSP Water
- BLIND BAKE THE PIE CRUST: Line the chilled pie shell with crumbled-up parchment paper, making certain to cover the edges (to prevent burning). Place pie weights atop the parchment paper and bake in the preheated oven until the edges of the dough are set and just beginning to show some color, which should take 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the parchment paper and weights, rotate the pie dish, and then continue baking until the crust is golden brown and crisp, approximately 10 to 15 minutes more. Keep an eye on it. If the crust starts to puff, gently pierce it with the tip of a small, sharp knife. When you only have approximately 2 minutes of baking time left, take the pie crust out of the oven and brush the reserved egg wash all over the surface of the crust, then return it to the oven just to set the egg. This will help keep your crust from getting soggy after you fill it. Remove from oven. Let the crust cool completely in the pie dish on a wire rack for 45 minutes.
Make the Blueberry Filling
- BEFORE BEGINNING: Reserve approximately 12-15 individual blueberries to garnish the top of the finished pie with (as the very final step -- after you've piped the stabilized whipped cream atop the blueberry filling).
- PREPARE THE CORN STARCH SLURRY: In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of cool water. You may need to add an additional tablespoon of water to get it to mix up freely. Stir until smooth and lump-free.1/4 CUP Corn Starch
- PREPARE THE BLUEBERRY FILLING: In a medium saucepan, combine 1 cup water, 1 cup sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, and 2.5 cups of the fresh blueberries. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer it for 2 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and whisk in the prepared cornstarch slurry. Then, return the pan to the heat and cook, stirring constantly. Watch closely. Bring the mixture to a brief boil and continue stirring for approximately 90 seconds until the mixture is thick and shiny. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 tablespoon of butter until it is melted and combined. Now, let the filling cool to room temperature completely (think 2+ hours, depending on room temperature). This is very important. Absolutely ensure the blueberry filling is cool to the touch so the finished pie will set correctly. Then gently fold the remaining 3 cups of fresh blueberries into the cooked (and cooled) blueberry mixture.1 CUP Water; 1 CUP Granulated Sugar; 1 tsp Table Salt; 1 TBSP Unsalted Butter
- ADD BLUEBERRY FILLING TO THE BLIND-BAKED PIE CRUST AND CHILL: Spread the blueberry filling evenly into the cooled pie crust. Top, in a uniform fashion, with the final 1/2 cup of fresh blueberries. Chill for 2 hours in the refrigerator until the filling is completely set.
Make the Stabilized Whipped Cream + Finish the Pie
- TO PREPARE: To ensure a firmer whipped cream, chill your mixing bowl, cream, and beaters in the freezer for 15-18 minutes before starting.
- PREPARE THE INSTANT CLEARJEL: Mix the 1/4 CUP of Confectioners Sugar with the 1 TBSP of Instant Clearjel until completely combined.1/4 CUP Confectioners Sugar; 1 TBSP Instant Clearjel
- WHIP THE CREAM: Pour the 2 CUPS of Heavy Cream into your mixing bowl and start whipping at a medium speed. Instead of relying solely on timing, pay attention to the appearance of your cream as you whip. As the cream starts to thicken, your whisk or beaters will leave trails in the bowl. This indicates that the structure is forming and the cream is becoming thicker. At this point, add in the reserved Confectioners Sugar and Instant Clearjel mixture. Also add in the 1 tsp of Pure Vanilla Extract. Then, increase the speed of your mixer to medium-high and whip (taking care not to over-whip) until you achieve stiff peaks and the cream clings to the beaters.2 CUPS Heavy Cream; 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- FINISH THE PIE: Spread the Stabilized Whipped Cream onto the chilled blueberry pie and finish with some decorative piping around the edges and with 8 flourishes across the top (one for each slice of pie). Complete the presentation by garnishing with the 12-15 reserved blueberries. Serve immediately (ideally) OR immediately chill and serve anytime over the next 48 to 36 hours.
Notes
Cool means cool. While making the blueberry filling for this pie, you're definitely going to want to pay strict attention to the steps -- making certain to cool the cooked blueberry mixture completely before moving on to the next steps. Otherwise, your pie may not set correctly.
To save on cooling time. At first glance, this recipe looks like it takes a very long time to make -- but most of that time is spent waiting for things to cool down. To save on cooling time, consider making the Blueberry Pie Filling as soon as (or shortly after) you begin chilling the Pie Dough (before you roll it out and blind bake it). That way you can allow the Pie Dough and the Blueberry Pie Filling to reach their optimal levels of coolness during the same stretch of time.
Alternatively, you could mix up the pie dough the night before - and chill it overnight. Then roll it out and blind bake it the next morning while you're starting to make the Blueberry Pie Filling.
Stabilizing is optional. Our stated goals, in the blog post preamble to this recipe, were to create a Blueberry Cream Pie with a 3 day shelf-life, that was capable of holding its shape in the refrigerator until we were ready to serve it. In order to do that, you would definitely need to use our Instant Clearjel whipped cream stabilizing strategy. But we also realize that Instant Clearjel often needs to be ordered online (and isn't available in most grocery stores). Creating the stabilized whipped cream is optional. If you decide to move ahead with regular whipped cream, we recommend baking the crust, making the blueberry filling, filling the pie, and then chilling the pie in the refrigerator (covered with plastic wrap). Whenever you're ready to serve the pie, make the whipped cream immediately before - and you can follow our instructions for the whipped cream exactly as written, just omitting the Instant Clearjel. As long as you work with a chilled mixing bowl, cream, and beaters (plus the recommended confectioners sugar), you should be able to get a solid 6 or 8 hours of chilled shelf-life out of the pie.
Is this the actual Publick House Blueberry Cream Pie recipe? These days, the official Publick House Blueberry Cream Pie recipe is a closely guarded secret -- but that hasn't always been the case. In the years before this pie "went viral," 2 official (albeit, slightly differing) versions of the recipe were publickly (see what I did there?) shared.
This specific recipe is our own New England Innkeeper version of the Publick House Blueberry Cream Pie, for which we leaned heavily on the best aspects of the official recipes (which we tracked down), along with some incorporated information derived from talking points provided by a long-time Publick House Pastry Chef, plus our own alternate All-Butter pie crust (which we believe is perfect for this pie).
If you would like to get closer to the official Publick House Blueberry Cream Pie - here is a recipe originating from Publick House for the all-shortening crust we believe they are currently using in their pie:
Publick House All-Shortening Pie Crust
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup vegetable shortening
- 6 tablespoons ice cold water
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 649kcalCarbohydrates: 76gProtein: 6gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 24gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 461mgPotassium: 220mgFiber: 5gSugar: 50gVitamin A: 1452IUVitamin C: 18mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 2mg
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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