Blueberry Goat Cheese Basil Pie

I know that the combination might sound weird and disgusting but take my word for it, this pie is killer good and one of the best pies you could ever eat.

 My friend's birthday is today so I made him one of these pies as his present. He was so excited that he isn't even sharing it with anyone.  He said he will eat a piece each day this week for breakfast to stretch his birthday celebration out.

 Ingredients:

Filling:

• 1/2 cup soft goat cheese
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 large egg
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• pinch of sea salt
• 1 tablespoon fresh basil, finely chopped
• 5 cups fresh blueberries

Topping:

• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/3 cup melted butter

Instructions

• Prepare your crust.
• On a floured surface, roll the chilled dough out into a flat circle shape with a floured rolling pin. Fold the dough in half and gently transfer the dough to a 10-inch pie plate. Unfold to cover the plate. Trim the dough to the shape of the plate, leaving a bit of overhang and fold to make the crust edge. Crimp the edges.
• Mix the filling together until creamy and stir in the berries and basil.  
• Prepare the topping by mixing together the almonds, sugar and melted butter in a small bowl.
• Transfer the filling to the rolled out pastry dough and sprinkle evenly with the almond topping. Bake in a preheated 375° oven on the middle rack, rotating part way through the baking time, for 35 to 45 minutes or until the filling has set and the pastry and almonds are nicely browned.
• Cool on a wire rack for at least 30 minutes and then cover and chill for a few hours before serving.

***after having made this pie a bunch of times, I find that you need to bake it longer.  quite a bit longer.  the juices must be bubbling for it to be done.

 I spray my pie pan with cooking spray before I put the crust in it.  It makes it a lot easier to remove a piece of the pie when you cut it.  I place my crust over the pan, press the bottom and sides in place and then trim it to about a 1 inch overhang.

 Then I roll the edges inward.

And then crimp around the plate.  I refrigerate this while I make the filling and topping.

 Beat the filling on high until it is thoroughly creamed. Stir in the basil.

 And then the berries.

Pour the filling into the uncooked pie crust.  I place it on a sprayed piece of aluminum foil on a cookie sheet.

Spread the almond mixture evenly over the top.

Bake it until you see the juices bubbling, well over an hour.

Delightful!