Berry Pie

This is a blueberry pie I made on vacation in Colorado

 I have made a lot of berry pies. Keith is not fan of cake, so he always gets blueberry pie for his birthday. Some of the birthday pies have gone well and some have been terrible. For years I have searched for the recipe that will give me a berry pie that slices and when you lift it up all the filling does not fall out, but stays in a perfect purple wedge. I have finally found a recipe that works really well. Depending on the berries, some juicier varieties take a little longer to cook, but this recipe works EVERY TIME.

Thanksgiving pies 2021: Black Raspberry pie

There are two key secrets to a good berry pie:

1. Frozen berries

2. Grated apples

The frozen berries seem to keep the pie from going to watery syrup too fast. And I have learned that with berries, frozen does not have to mean processed or sub-par quality. We pick our black raspberries from the yard and put them directly in the freezer until we have enough to make a pie. If you are not freezing your own berries, just make sure you are purchasing organic, good quality berries. If you use strawberries (which you can) you do need to cut them up a bit. The huge frozen ones will give you trouble whole

fresh picked black raspberries (and some peas) on their way to the freezer awaiting their pie debut

The grated apple is a wonderful trick. The pectin in the apple works as a binder for the pie, and it helps with sweetness and consistency. Genius!

Check out that clean cut! That is what you want

This Pie uses two pie crusts. You can find a pie crust recipe HERE. The top crust is going to need vent holes. I latticed my top, but you can just cut slits to vent the steam too.

Berry Pie

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

• 1 small golden delicious apple (shredded on the side of a box grater)
• 5 cups berries (frozen)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar packed
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
• pinch of ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

For Finishing:

• 1 large egg white
• 1 teaspoon water
• 2 tablespoons raw coarse sugar

Directions:

or the Filling:

• Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place a foil lined sheet pan in the oven as it preheats. Combine the apple, blackberries, blueberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, sugars, cornstarch, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves and salt.
• Pour the filling into a chilled pie crust.
• Place the pie into the freezer while rolling out the top pastry. Keeping everything cold is key!
• Roll out the second piece of dough so it fits the cover of the pie.
• Cover the filling with the second piece of pastry.
• Cut slits into the pie for venting. Brush with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
• Bake on the pre-heated baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes.
• Lower the oven to 375 degrees. Bake for another 35 to 40 minutes or until the pastry it a golden brown.
• Remove from oven and allow it to cool for 2 to 3 hours to allow the pie filling to thicken.