Blueberry Pie

Filling ingredients:
3 pints of blueberries, cleaned and stems removed
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (for thickening)
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Egg wash ingredients:(Leave out for non dairy diet)
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk

1 Prepare crust. If you have made dough, on a lightly floured work surface, roll out half of the dough to 1/8-inch-thick circle, about 13 inches in diameter. Drape dough over a 9-inch pie pan and put into the refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. If you have purchased frozen pre-rolled circles, allow them to defrost and place one of the circles on and in the pie pan.

2 Whisk egg and milk together to make an egg wash and set aside.

3 Combine blueberries, flour, cinnamon, lemon juice, and sugar and place in the chilled bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot the top with butter pieces. Roll out the remaining dough to the same size and thickness. Brush the rim of the crust with the egg wash, place the other piece of dough on top, trim to 1/2 inch over the edge of the pan, and crimp the edges with a fork or your fingers. Transfer the pie to the refrigerator to chill until firm, about 30 minutes. Heat oven to 425°F.

4 Remove from refrigerator. Brush the top with egg wash. Score the pie on the top with two perpendicular cuts (so steam can escape while cooking). Bake for 20 minutes at 425°. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 30 to 40 minutes more or until juices are bubbling. Let cool before serving.

Blueberries and Antioxidant Activity

Antioxidants are thought to help protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals and the chronic diseases associated with the aging process. Fresh fruits, including blueberries, and vegetables contain many of these naturally occurring antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E. Blueberries contain 14 mg of Vitamin C and 0.8 mg Vitamin E per 1 cup of blueberries. In addition, blueberries contain anthocyanins and phenolics that can also act as antioxidants. Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Boston, MA), blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Using a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), researchers have shown that a serving of fresh blueberries provides more antioxidant activity than many other fresh fruits and vegetables.