For the pastry you need
300ml flour
50ml icing sugar
1ml salt
50ml yellow cornmeal (polenta), almond or chickpea flour, add this quantity cake flour
100ml butter, chilled in fridge
Thyme thriving in the garden1 large egg yolk mixed with 50ml ice cold water
To finish
1 egg white mixed with 50ml water
25ml granulated sugar
For the filling you need
500ml fresh or frozen blueberries
25ml cornflour, rice or potato flour
50ml castor sugar
Approximately 250ml ricotta cheese, well drained
5ml grated lemon zest
Optional: 10ml thyme leaves, I prefer using lemon thyme
To prepare the pastry
Place the flour, salt, icing sugar and polenta in a bowl of a food processor.
Pulse the blade to mix.
Cut the cold butter into a few chunks and add. Pulse it blade again to blend in the butter, now add the egg yolk and water. Pulse until the dough pulls away from the edges to form a ball.
Remove the dough and wrap it in plastic and place it in the fridge.
Note: you can prepare the dough to this stage up to a day in advance.
When you are ready to bake the pie, roll the pastry into a circle about 35cm in diameter. This is a little larger than a dinner plate.
I like to roll the pastry straight onto a good quality baking paper or a silicone baking mat. Use a large plate to mark the diameter by drawing on the underside of the paper. Have a smaller plate handy to gently imprint the circle for the filling on the rolled pastry.
To prepare the filling
If using frozen berries do not defrost them. If using fresh berries rinse them and allow all the water to drain off.
Place the berries in a bowl and stir in the flour and sugar. If you are adding thyme, stir in the leaves.
Ensure that the ricotta cheese is ‘dry’. If it looks moist, place it in a clean dish towel in a sieve, to absorb excess moisture.
Stir in the lemon zest.
Spread the ricotta in approximately 20-25cm circle, leaving a border of at least 5cm all around.
Pile the blueberries on top of the ricotta.
Fold the pastry edges towards the centre of the pie to form a ‘wall’. You can simply fold it in and it will form natural ‘pleats’ or you can shape regular pleats around the edge.
Paint the pastry with the egg white mixture and sprinkle it with sugar.
Bake at 180°C for 35-40
Bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes, turning the baking tray half way to ensure even browning of the pastry.
Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream or vanilla ice-cream.