Blueberry Cream Pie

I have no excuse for this pie. Absolutely none. I could maybe defend it by pointing out the use of fresh fruit, but I’m aware that this is just not something I should be showing you in the dead of summer, also known as Bathing Suit Season.  Maybe I can place the blame elsewhere…specifically, to Saluda Grade Café, the restaurant that I worked at in high school, and the place that gave me the inspiration for this recipe.

The funny thing is, this was not a popular dessert there. It only  showed up for maybe 2 months out of the year, and when it did those pies would sit and sell so slowly that eventually I would take some home to keep it from going to waste. Not that I ever once complained about this. Except when I had to put on a bathing suit. Damn those pies.

I’m convinced that the reason these pies weren’t big sellers is because instead of having our desserts in a display case, customers made their decisions based on a list that we wrote on a chalkboard at the back of the restaurant. Even I will admit that it’s hard to choose “Blueberry Cream Pie” when it’s written next to “Double Chocolate Fudge Cake.”

However, I think that if everyone had realized that “blueberries” meant fresh-picked North Carolina mountain blueberries delivered that morning, and that by “cream” we were talking about the equivalent of melted cheesecake, they may have changed their minds. This pie that I only got to eat twice a year was the absolute highlight of my summers. And totally worth forgoing a bathing suit for.

Blueberry Cream Pie

Print this recipe!

This is a recipe that I came up with on my own, but it tastes exactly like the one at Saluda Grade.

1 baked pie shell
½ cup whipping cream
3 tablespoons sugar, divided
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries

In a bowl, beat the whipping cream and 1 tablespoon of sugar until stiff peaks form.

In a larger bowl beat together the rest of the sugar, cream cheese and vanilla extract. Once everything is well combined and the cream cheese is smooth and creamy, slowly fold in the whipping cream. Once everything is combined gently fold in the blueberries.

Pour the filling into a prepared pie shell and chill for at least and hour to allow the pie to set up. Now try to stop yourself from eating the whole thing at once.

Tagged as: Blueberry, Cream Cheese