A blueberry-vanilla-coconut pie. Don’t see that too frequently. The treatment of the blueberries here is actually along the lines you’d want to see any fruit get in a fruit pie, where basically they’re being cooked in a simple syrup, except with flavoring added, and using the water and sugar in the blueberries itself to cook them, so as the fruit softens, it shrinks further into its own juices. Grandmother Klosinski didn’t raise no fools.
As far as wild versus cultivated blueberries goes, wild blueberries tend to be smaller and sweeter, while cultivated blueberries tend to be larger and more tart. Wild blueberries have a bit higher concentration of antioxidants and there’s some debate about the pesticide levels on cultivated blueberries (wash your berries well and try not to overthink it). Culinarily speaking it shouldn’t make a huge difference, but Mother Klosinski’s preference probably has to do with cultivated blueberries being a better counterpoint for sweet pie filling because of the tartness, and because wild berries would shrink to the size of peas if cooked in a simple syrup.
But you can feel free to choose whatever blueberries you like.
From a box sold in Columbiaville, Michigan.
Mother Klosinski’s Blueberry Pie (as written on the card)
1 package vanilla pudding and pie filling mix
2 cups milk
1 baked 9-inch pie shell
2 cups cultivated blueberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
Dash of cinnamon
Dash of salt
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup cream, whipped and sweetened
3/4 cup tender-thin flaked coconut
Place pudding powder in saucepan. Add milk
gradually stirring constantly. Cook and stir
over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil
and is thickened. Cool slightly (about 5 minutes)
stirring once or twice. Pour into pie shell.
Cool. Meanwhile, combine blueberries and water
in a saucepan; bring to a boil. Mix together
sugar, cinnamon, salt, and cornstarch. Add to
berries and continue cooking until mixture is
clear and thickened, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and add lemon juice. Spread
at once over top of cooled pie. Chill.
Just before serving, spread with whipped cream
and sprinkle with coconut.