In the depths of January, summer seems a million years away. Most days I am content to cook according to the season. But sometimes, the longing for the sweet fruits of July and August becomes irresistable. Last week, my friend Judith offered one delicious, guilt-free solution: Blueberry pie made with frozen berries.

The idea of using frozen fruit in the dead of winter seems obvious in retrospect, but having been spoiled by the cartloads of fresh produce sold year round in the supermarket, it feels like a revelation. The frozen berries are plump and ripe and have none of the mealiness I so often associate with the fresh ones you get in January. (Equally important, I don't have to suffer the guilt of buying food that has been imported from thousands of miles away.)

Just in time for National Pie Day (this Friday), Judith has generously agreed to share her recipe. I plan to try it out this weekend. The crust is made with a combination of shortening and butter, which Judith (formerly a butter-only baker) says produces an incredibly flaky pastry that's very easy to handle. Being a little clumsy with the rolling pin, I'm planning to use a frozen pre-made crust instead.

Here is Judith's recipe (adapted from Cook's Illustrated's The New Best Recipe, 2004):

Basic Pie Dough

(Enough for 1 Double-Crust 9-inch pie)

2 1/2 cups (12 1/2 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour, plus more for dusting the work surface

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening, chilled

12 tablespoons ( 1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch pieces

6 - 8 tablespoons ice water

1) Process the flour, salt, and sugar in a food processor until combined. Add the shortening and process until the mixture has the texture of coarse sand, about 10 seconds. Scatter the butter pieces over the flour mixture; cut the butter into the flour until the mixture is pale yellow and resembles coarse crumbs, with butter bits no larger than small peas, about ten 1-second pulses. Turn the mixture into a medium bowl.

2) Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of the ice water over the mixture. With a rubber spatula, use a folding motion to mix. Press down on the dough with the broad side of the spatula until the dough sticks together, adding up to 2 tablespoons more ice water if the dough will not come together. Divide the dough into 2 balls and flatten into a 4-inch disk. Wrap each in plastic and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days before rolling.

Blueberry Pie

Note: I love Judith's pie because it is not too sweet and has a lot of zest: She uses just 3/4 cup sugar and a whole lemon's worth of zest (plus all the juice) in the filling. If you like a more traditional fruit pie, stick with the quantities offered below. The editors at Cook's Illustrated write that potato starch is sold in the baking aisle. If you don't have it or can't find it, substitute an equal amount of pulverized Minute tapioca, ground for about 1 minute in a food processor or spice grinder.

1 recipe Basic Pie Dough

Flour for dusting work surface

6 cups (30 ounces) blueberries, rinsed and picked over or four 8-ounce packages of frozen organic blueberries, defrosted

3/4 - 1 cup (5 - 7 ounces) plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 teaspoon lemon juice and 1 teaspoon grated zest from 1 lemon

1/4 teaspoon ground allspice or cinnamon

Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

3 - 4 tablespoon potato starch or Minute tapioca

2 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 large egg white

1) Adjust an oven rack to the lowest position, place a rimmed baking sheet on it, and heat the oven to 500 degress. Remove one piece of dough from the refrigerator (if refrigerated longer than 1 hour, let stand at room temperature until malleable).

2) Roll the dough on a lightly floured work surface or between two large sheets of parchment paper or plastic wrap to a 12-inch circle. Transfer the dough to a 9-inch pie plate by rolling the dough around a rolling pin and unrolling it over the pan. Working around the circumference of the pan, ease the dough into the pan corners by gently lifting the edge of the dough with one hand while pressing it into the pan bottom with the other. Leave the dough that overhangs the lip of the pie plate in place; refrigerate the dough-lined pie plate.

3) Toss the berries, the sugar, lemon juice and zest, spices, and potato starch in a medium bowl; let stand for 15 minutes. (Note: Judith does this step before rolling out the dough so the fruit marinates a bit longer.)

4) Roll out the second piece of dough to a 12-inch circle. Spoon the berries into the pie shell and scatter the butter pieces over the filling. Trim the top and bottom edges to 1/2 inch beyond the pan lip. Tuck this rim of dough underneath itself so that the folded edge is flush with the pan lip. Flute the edge or press with the tines of a fork to seal. Cut 4 slits into the dough top. If the pie dough is very soft, place in the freezer for 10 minutes. Brush the egg white on the top of the crust  and sprinkle evenly with the remaining 1 Tablespoon sugar.

5) Place the pie on the baking sheet and lower the oven temperature to 425 degrees. Bake until the top crust is golden, about 25 minutes. Rotate the pie and reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees; continue baking until the juices bubble and the crust is deep golden brown, 30 - 35 minutes longer.

6) Transfer the pie to a wire rack; cool to room temperature, at least 4 hours.

Are you a pie person? What's your favorite kind of pie?

(book photo from Amazon.com)