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!
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!
It's early July in Montana and finally, after a brutal winter and an extremely chilly spring, the mercury has at last spiked into the upper 70s. Townsfolk are giddily emerging from their long hibernation, baring their skin in shorts and tank tops. It's this time of year when I suggest that our town of Whitefish should really be renamed Whiteflesh.
There are more signs that our alpine summer is underway. The waterslide has opened for the season, Glacier Park and Big Mountain gear up for hikers and bikers, and the initial trickle of incoming tourists turns into a steady stream. But for me, the surest sign of summer is when lemonade stands begin to punctuate every cul-de-sac. Those cheery makeshift stands manned by exuberant little entrepreneurs are the official harbinger of summer.
Sunshine and lemonade have inspired my next pie, lemon chiffon. This airy pie bursting with lemon zestiness is the perfect refreshment on a hot summer day. I used Ken Haedrich's foolproof chiffon pie recipe. There is no butter or cream in the recipe, so go ahead and indulge without guilt. The pie is fluffy and light as a cloud, so feel free to serve large slices.
Crust:
1 3/4 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
6 tablespoons butter, melted
In a medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients together and press evenly into a 9 1/2 inch pie pan. Refrigerate for 10 minutes and preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 7 minutes. Cool.
Filling:
1/4 cup cold water
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup lemonade
1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs, separated, whites brought to room temperature
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Big pinch of salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pour the water into a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Set aside. In a medium-size saucepan, whisk together the lemonade, lemon juice, 1/2 cup sugar, egg yolks, lemon zest, and salt. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring nonstop, until the mixture thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 7-9 minutes. Do not let the mixture boil or it will curdle. Remove from the heat, stir int he softened gelatin, and immediately pour into a large bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes, then refrigerate just until the mixture turns lumpy, indicating that the gelatin is starting to thicken it, 50-60 minutes.
Immediately beat the 4 egg whites in a large bowl with an electric mixer until they hold soft peaks. Beat in the cream of tartar. Gradually add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, beating on high speed until the whites are thick and glossy. Beat in the vanilla. The whites should be firm but not dry. Gently fold about one-third of the whites into the lemon mixture. Add the remaining whites and continue to fold until the filling is evenly blended. Scrape the filling into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top with a spoon or rubber spatula. Cover with loosely tented aluminum foil and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight.
Twenty-three years ago I gave birth to a seven pound bundle of joy, Kara Elyse. Giddy at the prospect of having a baby girl to cuddle and dress in cute baby clothes, I layered Kara in frilly dresses, swaddled her in pink blankets and clipped tiny bows into her tuft of flaxen hair. Countless times people would compliment my adorable baby boy. Seriously?
This gender misidentification happened for just a few months, and as Kara approached her first birthday and her hair grew longer, people finally got a clue. I would think the pink sundresses and Strawberry Shortcake sandals were dead giveaways. In any case, Kara was inundated with lots of girlie accoutrements, perhaps to combat the dominant military world of her upbringing. Living on military bases with a tough Marine for a father, I was definitely inclined to temper all the machismo surrounding Kara with heavy doses of feminine flourish.
As Kara grew into toddlerhood, her strong will exhibited itself in her wardrobe choices. She insisted on dressing herself in ruffles, costume jewelry and fancy shoes all in her favorite color - pink. She collected Barbie dolls galore and spent hours accessorizing them. Fast forward 20 years and not much has changed. There will never be any mistaking it. Kara is all girl!
In honor of Kara's birthday and in deference to her passion for pink, I bring to the spotlight pie #30 which features pink champagne and strawberries. I chose a macaroon crust because Kara loves coconut and it proves to be a lovely complement to the fluffy filling. Don't be put off by the amount of champagne in both the filling and the glaze as the alcohol is barely discernable in the pie.
Enjoy a slice of this fancy pink pie, especially you macho men out there. A little bit of fluff is good for the tough!
Crust:
1 1/2 cups coconut macaroons, crushed
1/3 cup butter, melted
Thoroughly blend wafer crumbs and melted butter. Press into an even layer against bottom and sides of a 9 1/2" pie plate. Bake in a preheated oven at 350 degrees for 6-8 minutes. Cool.
Filling:
1 envelope Knox gelatin
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/4 cups pink champagne
1 pint premium strawberry ice cream, softened
1 8 oz. container Cool Whip, thawed
In a medium saucepan, combine gelatin and sugar. Add champagne. Stir over medium heat until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat. Add ice cream and stir until melted. Stir in Cool Whip. Beat with a whisk until smooth. Refrigerate until mixture mounds when dropped from a spoon , about 1 hour. Spoon into cooled pie crust. Refrigerate until firm, preferably overnight.
Glaze:
1 1/2 cup fresh strawberries, hulled
3/4 cup pink champagne
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
In saucepan, crush 3/4 cup of strawberries and reserve remaining 3/4 for garnish. Add champagne. Cook over medium heat about 2 minutes. Put through a sieve. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir into strawberry mixture. Cook and stir until mixture is thickened a bubbly. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.
Halve remaining strawberries. Remove pie from refrigerator and arrange strawberries on top of pie. Spoon cooled glaze over strawberries. Refrigerate until serving time.
"Many a one, for the sake of finery on the back, have gone with a hungry belly and half-starved their families. Silks and satins, scarlet and velvets, put out the kitchen fire.... By these, and other extravagances, the genteel are reduced to poverty, and forced to borrow of those whom they formerly despised, but who, through industry and frugality, have maintained their standing; in which case it appears plainly, that a ploughman on his legs is higher than a gentleman on his knees."
This quote is taken from Poor Richard's Almanac, a best-selling publication by Ben Franklin in the mid 1700's, cherished for its proverbs on hard work and frugality. Coincidentally, my most recent pies, French silk and red velvet, have luxurious sounding names and call for rather expensive ingredients. I'm afraid Ben Franklin would raise an eyebrow over such a frivolous expenditure. My white satin pie, however, belies its extravagant title. Using just a few ingredients, all of which were sitting in my pantry, this pie whips up quickly and can be made a couple of weeks ahead of time and kept frozen.
Being the bargain lover that I am, I appreciate that this pie is easy on the pocketbook but big on the wow factor. Make sure to serve thin slices as the pie is dense and rich, almost like a white chocolate fudge. You can easily get 10-12 servings from this pie, up from the typical 8 servings from a standard pie dish. Mr. Franklin would certainly deem this a frugal choice. And he also once stated, "Who is rich? He that rejoices in his portion."
Make my portion white satin pie!
Crust:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed vanilla cream filled cookies (such as Mother's English Tea Cookies)
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons milk
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the cookie crumbs, melted butter and milk in a ziploc bag, mixing until all ingredients are evenly distributed. Transfer the crumb mixture to a 9-inch pie pan, pressing into the bottom and up the side. Refrigerate for 10 minutes, then place on the center rack of oven and bake for 6-8 minutes until slightly golden brown. Cool thoroughly.
Filling:
1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
2 large egg yolks
11-12 ounce package white baking chips
Coarsely chopped white baking chips and whipped cream for garnish (optional)
Whisk together milk and egg yolks in saucepan over medium low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is hot and thickens slightly. Do not boil. Remove from heat. Stir in baking chips until completely melted and mixture is smooth. Pour into pie crust and freeze overnight. Garnish top of pie with chopped baking chips and whipped cream, if desired.
Yin and yang. Dark and light. Ebony and ivory. The theory that opposites attract are deliciously exemplified in black bottom pie. The rich chocolate custard with its dense texture contrasts strikingly with the airy chiffon meringue. This pie is a perfect melding of sinful decadence and divine refinement.
Black bottom appears to have originated in the south around the turn of the 20th century. The bottom chocolate layer was thought to signify the dark, swampy lowlands along the Mississippi River. Marjorie Rawlings, in Cross Creek Cookery (a bible of authentic Southern cooking from 1942), declared of black bottom pie, "I hope to be propped up on my dying bed and fed a generous portion. Then I think that I should refuse outright to die, because life would be too good to relinquish."
With one bite of this luscious pie, you may believe you have died and gone to pie heaven. The recipe is a bit involved and the pie must chill overnight to ensure the custard becomes firm and the slices come out cleanly. A piece of black bottom pie on a crystal dessert plate makes for a very elegant presentation. I am tempted to rename it tuxedo pie for its show-stopping presence!
Crust:
1 1/4 cups chocolate graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup butter, melted
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a medium bowl, mix all crust ingredients together and press evenly into a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 8 minutes. Cool.
Filling:
1 (.25 ounce) package unflavored gelatin
1/3 cup cold water
1 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1 3/4 cups milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup white rum (or 1 1/2 teaspoons rum flavoring)
4 egg whites*
Dissolve gelatin in cold water, and set aside.
In a small saucepan, mix cornstarch, 3/4 cup sugar, milk, and egg yolks. Cook, stirring, until bubbly and thick. Remove from heat, and add vanilla. Divide mixture in half. Add chocolate chips to one half, and stir until melted and smooth. Pour into pastry shell. Chill.
Stir gelatin mixture into the other half of the hot egg yolk mixture. Stir in rum. Chill until slightly thick.
Beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup sugar, and beat to stiff peaks. Fold into partially set gelatin/rum mixture. Chill until mix will mound, then spoon into pie shell on top of chocolate layer. Chill overnight.
*Raw egg whites are used in this recipe. Powdered egg whites or pasteurized egg whites may be substituted.
I've just returned from a wonderful week spent cruising with the Coco clan. We had multiple reasons to celebrate: My husband Joe's parents have been married 50 years, my brilliant niece graduated with an associate's degree along with her high school diploma, and my brother-in-law was promoted to Lt. Colonel and ranked as best new judge in the Air Force. My golden birthday, the sole inspiration for this pie blog, was also cause for celebration.
Each evening as our party of 19 congregated for dinner on the cruise ship, we gave toasts to Joe's parents for their long-standing commitment to marriage and for their love and sacrifice in raising their four children to become flourishing adults. We capped each gourmet dinner with cake baked in honor of the occasions. Cake has always taken the cake, if you will, as the chosen celebratory dessert. Pie just can't hold a candle, both literally and figuratively, to a showy cake. After indulging in several delicious slices of layered goodness throughout the week, I polled my relatives and discovered that red velvet cake ranked as one of their favorites.
And so this became my inspiration for pie #27. Why should cakes exclusively flaunt their fancy frou-frou at countless celebrations? I think pies, if given a chance, can strut their stuff just as glamorously as any cake.
In searching for a good red velvet recipe, I discovered that this cake got its name because of the chemical reaction of acidic vinegar and buttermilk against the anthocyanin in the cocoa. Some older recipes incorporated boiled beets, but most recipes nowadays simply use red food coloring which results in a stronger red tinted batter. I opted to use food coloring since beets can sometimes turn the batter purple.
For the crust, I decided upon another Ken Haedrich recipe from his pie cookbook. The cream cheese base nicely complements the red velvet filling and cream cheese icing. This pie looks especially festive baked in a red ceramic pie plate. If you have a birthday to celebrate, the firm filling will support candles, perhaps even fifty!
Crust:
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
4 ounces full-fat cream cheese, softened
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
Combine the butter, cream cheese, and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater attachment. Blend for 30-45 seconds on medium-low speed, stopping once or twice to scrape the build-up from the beater. Stopping, the machine before each addition, first add the powdered sugar and 1/2 cup of flour. With the mixer on low, blend until the flour is incorporated. Add another 1/2 cup of flour and blend. Add remaining flour and blend until dough balls up around the beater. Remove the dough onto a lightly floured surface.
Gently knead the dough 2-3 times and form into a ball. Place on plastic wrap and flatten into a 3/4-inch disk. Wrap well and refrigerate at least an hour.
On a sheet of lightly floured waxed paper, roll the 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. Tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and sculpt the edge so it is just slightly higher than the rim. Make a decorative border on the pie crust edge if desired. Place crust in refrigerator and prepare filling:
Filling:
1 3/4 cup cake flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 oz. red food coloring
1/3 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2/3 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Sift together cake flour, baking powder, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside. In a small bowl, mix food coloring and cocoa powder to form a thin paste; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then beat in vanilla and the red cocoa paste, scraping down the bowl with a spatula as you go. Add one third of the flour mixture to the butter mixture, beat well, then beat in half of the buttermilk. End with the last third of the flour mixture, beat until well combined, making sure to scrape down the bowl with a spatula.
In a small bowl, mix vinegar and baking soda. Add it to the cake batter and stir well to combine. Working quickly, spread batter into pie crust and bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of pie batter comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature before frosting.
Frosting:
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
Pinch of salt
With an electric mixer, blend together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Turn mixer to low and blend in powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla. Turn mixer on high and beat until light and fluffy. Spread over cooled pie.
