Blueberry Cream Cheese Pie

Ingredients

• Crust:
• 2 cups all-purpose flour (8 1/2 ounces)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
• 4 to 7 tablespoons tablespoons ice water
• Pie:
• 8 ounces cream cheese or neufchatel (light cream cheese), at room temperature
• 1/2 cup sour cream (regular or light - not fat free)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs, divided
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• zest from one lemon
• a pinch or two of salt
• 3 cups blueberries,* fresh or frozen (do not thaw if using frozen)
• 2 tablespoons corn starch
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon heavy cream or milk

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl combine flour, salt and sugar.
2. Use a pastry blender or two knives scissor fashion to cut half the butter into the flour until it resembles cornmeal. Cut in the rest of the butter until the largest pieces are the size of a dime.
3. Sprinkle ice water, one tablespoon at a time over flour mixture and use a fork to toss. Continue until the dough is moist enough to hold together, gather it into a ball, divide into 2 equal pars and flatten each one into a disk.
4. Wrap each disk in saran wrap and rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes.
5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a floured surface roll out one of the disks into a 12"circle. Transfer to a 9" pie pan and trim off the edges with a paring knife.
6. Lightly prick the inside of the pie crust with a fork about an inch apart all over including the sides. Place a piece of parchment over the crust and fill with pie weights or dried beans.
7. Bake 12 minutes. Remove pie weights and bake an additional 5 minutes. Remove and allow to cool.
8. While pie is cooking/cooling work on the braid. This tutorial on Martha Stewart shows you how. Roll out the leftover dough and cut with cookie cutters to decorate top.
9. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl beat the cream cheese until creamy on medium speed about 3 minutes. Add sour cream, sugar, 1 of the eggs, vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Beat 2 minutes on low until well combined. Spread evenly over bottom of crust.
10. In a separate, large bowl toss blueberries with corn starch, sugar and lemon juice. Drop by spoonfuls over top of cream cheese as evenly as possible.
11. Whisk the remaining egg with a teaspoon of heavy cream or milk. Brush over edges of pie and add the braid. Brush the top of the braid with egg wash. Place the cookie cutter shapes if using. Brush them too.
12. Bake 45-50 minutes until top is set. Remove to wire rack to cool about 2 hours. Refrigerate overnight or 4-6 hours before serving.