Berries

You Can Do It, Perfect Summer Berry Pie

30 Jul 2010
Summer Berry Pie

Pie.

Fresh fruit pie. We all aspire to that perfect triangle of sweet summer perfection. But too many of us fall flat in our goals.

Sure part of the equation is crust. Lard? Shortening? Butter? How cold? How crumbly? How to properly roll it out? There is room for endless debate. But the pastry is a debate I leave for another day.

Because today I want to talk filling– specifically fruit filling.

But first let me set the stage. Perfect pie is like porn; you know when you see it. You often sense it before you see it too. That’s because perfect pie starts with a fresh baked aroma. Then the pie arrives with its sugar bejeweled crust sparkling in the sunlight. Underneath that crust oozes a luscious filling, still tart enough to remind you of the fresh fruit that went into the crust in the first place.

Hit those few marks and there is a good shot that you are in the presence of a great piece of pie. It’s the simple perfection that gives it away. But it’s the complexity of taste and texture that makes it sublime.

Sippity Sup Continues »
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Summer Berry Pie

Summer Berry Pie
By jgreghenry Published July 30, 2010
Prep time: 150
Yield:1 ()

Ingredients:

  • 0 perfect pie crust (see recipe section)
  • 0 all purpose flour, for rolling surface
  • 8 c cups mixed summer berries such raspberries, blackberries, blueberries & sliced strawberries
  • 1.25 c granulated sugar
  • 0.25 c cornstarch
  • 1 pn kosher salt
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 T cream
  • 0 turbinado (raw) sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

Lightly flour a pastry board, marble counter, or kitchen counter. Divide the pastry in half. Pat each piece of pastry into a flat round. Lightly flour the rolling pin. Roll pastry in one direction only, turning pastry continually to prevent it from sticking to the surface. Using pie plate as a guide, measure rolled-out pastry, it should be slightly larger than the pie plate and 1/8-inch thick. Fold rolled pastry circle in half so you can lift it more easily. Unfold, gently fitting the pastry into the pie plate, allowing pastry to hang evenly over the edge. Do not trim the pastry yet. Stir together berries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Fill pie shell with berry filling. Then roll out the second crust in the same manner as for the bottom. Using a sharp, pointed knife or a small decoratively shaped cutter cut little vents in a decorative pattern. Fold circle in half and place folded pastry on one half the pie. Unfold, pressing top and bottom pastry together. Trim edges with scissors, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold bottom pastry overhang over top and press firmly to seal. Crimp rim, using fingers or the tines of a fork. Whisk together yolks and cream. Decorate tops of pies with cutouts, brushing bottoms with egg wash to help them adhere. Refrigerate the pie for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tops of pies with egg wash, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Bake until juices are bubbling and tops are golden brown, about 1 hour 20 minutes (tent with foil if crust is getting too dark). Let cool at least 1 hour. The cooled pie may be kept overnight, covered at room temperature. Do not refrigerate

Notes:

serves 8