Yogurt and Blueberry Pie with Granola Crust

My Mom and I took my five year old son blueberry picking last week.  We were looking for something to do and we figured we'd give it a try and see if he liked it.  Between the two of us, we had no idea how much he was going to love blueberry picking.  It was actually really funny.  The entire time we were out there picking blueberries he was saying things like "this is the best day of my life" and "blueberry picking is so much fun" and "can we do this all the time".  He was on repeat over and over again and we had the best time. We picked several pounds of blueberries and ate most of them plain, or with whipped cream, or in smoothies.  I saved the rest for this pie.  It's something I've been wanting to make ever since I picked up a copy of Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts cookbook.

This pie is fabulous.  It's basically a yogurt parfait turned into a pie. You could almost feel okay about eating it for breakfast.  The crust is a blend of granola (buy it or make your own), sugar, cinnamon and butter.  Once mixed, the crust is refrigerated (so that it holds together better) and then it's baked until fragrant.  When the crust is cooled, a cool and creamy mixture of strained plain yogurt and cream cheese is poured in and the whole thing is topped with fresh blueberries and honey.  It's easy, it's beyond delicious, and it's a dessert you don't have to feel too guilty about eating.

Blueberries are in season right now and I would recommend them for this pie, but any fruit (or blend of fresh fruit) would be great.  One of the things I like about this recipe is that you can change it up to suit your tastes.  

 

Yogurt and Blueberry Pie with Granola Crust

Adapted from Martha Stewart's Pies & Tarts

Makes One 9-inch Pie

For the Crust:

1-1/2 cups plain granola

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

For the Filling:

1 cup plain yogurt

8 ounces cream cheese, room temp (I used reduced fat)

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For the Topping:

5 ounces (1 cup) blueberries, picked over

Mild honey, such as acacia

Make the crust:  Preheat oven to 350F.  In a food processor, pulse 1 cup granola with the sugar and cinnamon until fine crumbs form.  Drizzle in butter, and process until combined.  Add remaining 1/2 cup granola, and process until combined but mixture is still crumbly.

Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, and press mixture evenly into bottom and up sides.  Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.  Bake until crust is golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the filling:  Place yogurt in a cheesecloth-lined sieve set over a medium bowl; let drain at least 30 minutes.  Discard liquid.

With an electric mixer on medium-low speed, beat cream cheese until very smooth.  Add sugar and vanilla; beat until smooth.  Add strained yogurt, and beat on low speed until smooth.

Pour filling into prepared crust, and refrigerate until set, 6 hours or up to 1 day.  Just before serving, arrange blueberries on top, drizzle with honey, and cut into wedges.