Blueberry Elderflower Honeycomb Pie Recipe

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If you tell a room full of people to imagine a pie, chances are that they will each picture a different thing. From pork pies to lemon meringue pies, the term „pie” encompasses so many various sweet and savory dishes that it’s harder than you might think to nail down a definition. While there are more than a few outliers (we’re looking at you, shepherd’s pie), the general consensus seems to be that a pie involves a crust or some kind of pastry with a sweet or savory filling. The one thing we do know for sure is that pie is always good, and for that, recipe developer Jennine Rye created this blueberry elderflower honeycomb pie.

Those looking for a slightly more unusual and elegant pie to indulge in will find this recipe especially appealing. Notes of honey, blueberry, and elderflower are combined within this custard pie, bringing you a light, bright, and fruity dessert that celebrates the tastes of summer. With the help of some bubble wrap and a few hours of freezing and thawing, this dessert is finished with a striking honeycomb-textured surface, making it a great option for special occasions.

To begin this blueberry elderflower honeycomb pie recipe, first, you will need to gather the ingredients. The pie crust requires butter, honey, and graham cracker crumbs. For the filling, you will need egg yolks, elderflower syrup, cornstarch, gelatin powder, whole milk, heavy cream, an egg white, lemon zest, and blueberry jam. Lastly, the topping uses honey, elderflower syrup, water, and blueberries. You may also want to use edible flowers to decorate the pie.

To create a honeycomb-patterned mold, outline the base of a 9-inch cake pan onto a sheet of bubble wrap.

Cut out the circle and set it aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.

To start the pie crust, in a bowl, add the butter and honey.

Place the bowl in the microwave and melt the butter on a low setting. Stir to combine.

Add the graham cracker crumbs to the honey butter mixture.

Use a spoon to mix well until the crumbs resemble wet sand.

Transfer the crust mixture to a 9-inch cake pan. Using a spoon, press the crust mixture into the base and sides of the pan.

Bake the pie crust in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let it cool completely.

Moving on to the pie filling, in a saucepan, whisk together the egg yolks, elderflower syrup, cornstarch, and gelatin powder. Set aside.

In a medium-sized bowl, add the milk and heat it up in the microwave until hot, making sure it doesn’t boil.

Slowly pour the hot milk into the egg yolk and elderflower mixture, whisking continuously until everything is combined.

Place the saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat. Whisk the custard mixture until it thickens and coats the spoon, roughly 5 to 10 minutes.

Remove the saucepan from the heat.

Strain the custard into a clean bowl and set aside to cool.

In a medium-sized bowl, whisk the heavy cream until soft peaks form. Set aside the cream.

In a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, add the egg white and whisk until soft peaks form.

Use a spatula to fold the cream into the cooled custard until combined.

Add the egg white into the creamy custard mixture. Use a spatula to gently fold the egg white in until combined.

Add the lemon zest and mix well.

To start filling the pie, spread an even layer of blueberry jam over the bottom of the cooled pie crust.

Top with the custard filling, completely covering the jam.

Carefully press the bubble wrap circle into the top of the filling.

Without removing the bubble wrap circle, cover the pie with food wrap.

Leave it in the freezer for at least 4 hours or until the top of the custard is set.

To start the syrup, in a small saucepan, add the honey, elderflower syrup, and water.

Place over medium heat and let it simmer, stirring regularly, until the mixture has reduced by half. Set aside to cool.

Remove the pie from the freezer and carefully pull off the food wrap and bubble wrap.

Pour the cooled syrup over the top of the pie, completely covering the surface of the honeycomb pattern in syrup. Place in the fridge for at least 2 hours to thaw through.

Decorate with blueberries and flowers before serving.

At its simplest, elderflower syrup (sometimes referred to as cordial) is a concentrated, non-alcoholic sweet liquid flavored with elderflower. Elderflowers are tiny white flowers that grow in bunches on elder shrubs. These beautiful, sweet, and delicately fragrant blooms can be used in a variety of ways in the kitchen, though they are commonly infused into syrup to make a refreshing summery drink. If you enjoy floral flavors, then you will love elderflower. Even if you tend to find other floral additions, such as rose or lavender, overpowering, you’ll probably enjoy the subtle citrus sweetness that elderflower affords, as it is much milder in taste.

Most often, elderflower syrup is used to make drinks, pairing well with carbonated water or lemonade. It is also used in a wide range of cocktails, lending its delicate floral finish to light and summery boozy beverages. In fact, you may well be au fait with the flavor of elderflower syrup through St-Germain liqueur, which is similarly flavored with the delicate white flowers. Elderflower syrup is also commonly used in desserts such as this strawberry elderflower fruit fool recipe. Aside from strawberries, it works well with other fruits and even herbs, such as peaches, lemon, gooseberries, and mint.

There’s no beating around the bush; this honeycomb pie is a labor of love, so you will want to make sure that it is served and enjoyed at its absolute best. Due to the time it takes for this pretty dessert to be assembled and set, you will want to allow yourself plenty of time to make it without any pressure. We recommend making this honeycomb pie the day before serving it to allow the custard ample time to chill. Then you can take a few minutes to decorate the pie before presenting it. 

However, due to the fresh dairy and eggs used in this recipe, the honeycomb pie should only be kept for about three days in the fridge, so don’t make it too far in advance. Make sure to keep it well wrapped in cling film or store it in an airtight container to keep it fresh and moist and prevent it from absorbing the smell from other stuff in the fridge.