It's going to be a berry good month. Spring ushered in the ubiquitous strawberry and now that summer is in full swing, more varieties of berries are parading into farmers' markets, roadside stands, and grocery store produce departments. Juicy, healthful and bursting with flavor, berries are showcased in juices, jams, pancakes, smoothies, sauces, cobblers, cakes, and...drumroll please...PIES!
Ever since I launched this blog, I've been anticipating the challenge of mastering berry pies. What I've heard from seasoned pie bakers, berry pies usually require a double crust to prevent the filling from erupting over the pie pan rim. The top crust must have steam vents and oftentimes is woven into a lattice design. I have barely mastered a mere single crust let alone a double crust. The thought of attempting a lattice crust makes me want to cop out and head to the supermarket for a frozen ready-made pie. Miss Miranda, my home economics teacher extraordinaire, would furrow her dark eyebrows in disapproval, I know.
So, inspired by Miss M's baking prowess and embracing the berry bounty of the season, I present Red, White, and Blueberry Pie in honor of Independence Day. I took some creative license to one of Ken Haedrich's berry pie recipes. I used blueberries, red raspberries, and if you can find them, white raspberries. White raspberries, sometimes called golden raspberries, are milder and sweeter than their red siblings. They typically are a late summer offering, so if you can't locate them in your area, substitute red raspberries.
Just so you know, I wimped out with attempting a lattice crust. I'll gather my courage for the next pie...
Crust:
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Toss well by hand to mix. Scatter the butter over the dry ingredients and toss to mix. Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut or rub the butter into the flour until it is broken into pieces the size of small peas. Add the shortening and continue to cut until all of the fat is cut into small pieces. Sprinkle half of the water over the mixture. Toss well with a fork to dampen the mixture. Add the remaining water, 1 1/2-2 tablespoons at a time, and continue to toss and mix, pulling the mixture up from the bottom of the bowl on the upstroke and gently pressing down on the downstroke. Dough made my hand often needs a bit more water. If necessary, add water 1-2 tablespoons at a time until the pastry can be packed.
Using your hands, pack the pastry into 2 balls as you would pack a snowball. Make one ball slightly larger than the other; this will be your bottom crust. Knead the balls once or twice, then flatten the balls into a 3/4-inch-thick disk on a floured work surface. Wrap the disks in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight before rolling.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the larger portion of the pastry into a 12-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge. Place in refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Filling:
3 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups red raspberries
1 cup white (also called golden) raspberries
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Heavy cream for glazing
Sugar to sprinkle on glaze
Combine the berries in a large bowl. Mix the sugar and cornstarch together in a small bowl, then stir the mixture into the fruit. Stir in the salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Set aside for 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Roll the other half of the pastry into a 10-inch circle on a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper. Using small star shaped cookie cutters, cut out a design on the crust. I cut out one larger star in the center of the crust and several mini stars around the center star. Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell, smoothing the fruit with a spoon. Moisten the outer edge of the pie shell with a pastry brush. Invert the top pastry over the filling, center, and peel off the paper. Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge. Trim the edge to an even 1/2 inch all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge. Brush the top of the pie generously with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and rotate the pie 180 degrees so that the part that faced the back of the oven now faces forward. Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any spills. Continue to bake until the juices, most likely visible at the cut out portions of the top crust, bubble thickly, 25-30 minutes. If the top pastry starts to get too brown, cover with loosely tented aluminum foil during the last 10 minutes.
Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 1 hour before serving. Delicious with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!
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