A word of caution to those who attempt to make a blackberry pie. Do not wear white when doing so. Those who know me well know that my wardrobe consists of black with an occasional splash of a color accessory to break up the monochome. I do not know what possessed me to don a new pair of white capris on the day I baked a gooey, juicy blackberry pie. Suffice it to say, my capris now sport their own splashes of color.
Now that my wardrobe warning has been issued, let me proceed with the botanical details of my favorite berry. The blackberry is a fruit produced by any of several species in the Rubus genus of the Rosaceae family. The fruit is not a true berry; botanically it is considered an aggregate fruit, composed of small drupelets. Blackberries are perennials and are primarily cultivated in Oregon. If you are lucky enough to live where blackberries flourish, you are truly blessed. Supermarket blackberries are expensive and highly perishable. Frozen blackberries will suffice, but a pie baked with fresh berries is unbeatable.
I paired an all-butter crust with this pie since I love the not only the full flavor but the ease of rolling out a butter crust. There aren't many ingredients in the filling recipe but make sure to use the tapioca, albeit one tablespoon. Without it, the pie might devolve into a soupy slurry and make slicing a neat wedge a bit of a challenge.
I hesitantly attempted a lattice top crust. I knew that if I failed, I had a plastic lattice cutter that my friend found at a yard sale and passed on to me. I'm happy to say that my lattice crust turned out rather well!
The pie takes a good hour to bake, but the lovely berry aroma that will waft through your house will make the time invested in preparing it so worth it. I kept walking through kitchen to admire my pie as it cooled. I felt like an all American Hannah Homemaker with a pretty lattice pie perched on my countertop.
You can serve the pie while still warm with a scoop of rich vanilla ice cream and a big napkin to catch any errant blackberries that might lurch off the fork and onto your lap. For extra protective measure, I suggest you wear black!
Crust:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold water
Filling:
6 cups fresh blackberries (if using frozen, thaw berries and drain)
1 to 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon quick-cooking tapioca
Heavy cream to brush top crust
Granulated sugar to sprinkle on top crust
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl. Add the butter, tossing it with the flour. With electric mixer on low speed, blend butter into the flour until you have what looks like coarse, damp meal. Turning the mixer on and off, add half of the water. Mix briefly on low speed. Add the remaining water, mixing slowly until the dough starts to form large clumps. Do not overmix.
Test the dough by squeezing some of it between your fingers. Add water, a teaspoon at a time, if the dough seems dry and not packable. Using your hands, divide the dough in half, one half slightly larger than the other. Shape the larger half into a disk and the other half into a square, both about 3/4-inch thick. Wrap each in plastic. Refrigerate for at least an hour before rolling.
While dough is chilling, toss together berries, sugar, cornstarch, butter, lemon juice, water and tapioca. Let stand, tossing occasionally, 20 minutes.
Place a baking sheet covered in foil in lower third of oven. This will catch any juices that might spill over from the pie pan. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the chilled disk of pastry into a 13-inch circle with a floured rolling pin. Invert the pastry over a 9-inch pie pan, center, and peel off the paper. Gently tuck the pastry into the pan leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while preparing the lattice crust.
On another sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the remaining pastry into a 12 x 10 rectangle. With a pastry wheel or pizza cutter, but the pastry into 8 lengthwise strips measuring 12 inches long and 1 1/4 inches wide. Set aside.
Stir berry mixture, then spoon evenly into pie shell. Moisten the rim of the shell slightly. Lay 5 pastry strips vertically across the pie, evenly spaced. Fold back strips 2 and 4 halfway and lay another strip directly across the center of the pie. Unfold the folded strips, then fold back strips 1,3, and 5. Lay another perpendicular strip across the pie. Unfold the folded strips, then fold up strips 1, 3, and 5 on the other side of the pie. Place another perpendicualr strip across the pie, then unfold strips 1,3, and 5. Trim the strips, then pinch the ends of the strips into the edge of the pastry. Lightly brush the pastry strips with cream and sprinkle the top of the pie 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 it evenly browns. Continue to bake until the top is golden brown and any visible juices bubble thickly, 35-40 minutes. If the edge begins to brown too quickly, over edge with foil or a pie crust shield. Remove from oven and cool. Can stay a day or two at room temperature but refrigerate thereafter if there is any left!
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