Blueberry Pie with Lemon Cream

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Crust:

Bake an empty pie crust. You can bake your own favorite crust, either dough or graham cracker but I use Pillsbury's frozen rolled dough that you defrost and fill your own pie plate with - easy and both tastes and looks homemade!

3 oz package of cream cheese

Filling:
5 cups fresh blueberries (about 27 ounces)
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup water

Put all ingredients in large, heavy saucepan. Cook on medium heat until sauce thickens and berries just start to soften; about 15 minutes. Add more water if necessary if sauce gets too thick.

Remove from heat and cool.

When crust has cooled, spread a layer of cream cheese in the bottom; this helps to seal the crust from the berry compote and keep it from getting soggy. Put the cooked and cooled berry mixture in the pie shell and refrigerate for at least three hours.

Serve with generous dollop of Lemon Cream (this is so good - use it for other fresh fruit desserts!)

Lemon Cream

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
4 large eggs
1 large egg, separated
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
Pinch of salt

Combine 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, 4 eggs, egg yolk, and lemon peel in heavy medium saucepan and whisk to blend; add butter. Whisk constantly over medium heat until mixture thickens and coats back of spoon thickly (do not boil), about 12 minutes.

Place bowl in larger bowl filled with ice water and whisk occasionally until lemon curd is cooled completely, about 15 minutes. If mixture is not completely smooth, use a blender stick or processor to smooth texture.

Whisk egg white and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in small metal bowl to blend. Set bowl over small saucepan of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until sugar dissolves and mixture is just warm to touch, about 1 minute (do not overheat or mixture will curdle).

Immediately remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat egg white mixture until thick and glossy (texture will resemble marshmallow crème; volume of beaten egg white will be very small). Gently fold egg white mixture into cooled lemon curd.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.

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