Mmmm…pie.
I love pie. Don’t you love pie? It’s such a versatile dessert. Chocolate pies, fruit pies, cookie pies, pudding pies, ice cream pies…and that doesn’t even consider the savory pie options..ENDLESS! Is there anything you can’t put into a pie?
As you ponder that question..
Today we’re going to make a fruit pie! A berry pie! A black and blue berry pie! Oh.my.
This recipe can actually be adapted to any type of berries that you want to use. The above pie, in the cast-iron skillet, it 1/2 blueberries and 1/2 strawberries. The below pie, in the pie plate, is 1/2 blueberries and 1/2 blackberries:
And, bonus, these pies are dairy-free and vegan! Yes, that’s right. So whether you have a dairy allergy, are a vegan, or you just love pie– it’s pie time 🙂
Berry pie, Oh my!
Ingredients:
For the crust:
17 tablespoons crisco shortening (or other shortening. Or, if you don’t need the pie to be vegan, you can use 1/2 butter 1/2 crisco)
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
4-8 Tablespoons cold water
For the filling:
3 cups blueberries
3 cups blackberries, sliced if they’re big– you want them about the same size as the blueberries
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
zest and juice from 1 lemon
dash of cinnamon
Pie plate or cast iron skillet (I typically use a 9 inch plate, deep dish if you have it)
Directions:
For the crust:
1) Combine the flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk to combine.
2) Add in shortening and cut it in using two knives or a pastry blender. Keep cutting the shortening in and mixing until you have small crumbs– pea-sized or smaller.
3) Add in cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Lightly knead the dough with your hands. Keep adding water until the dough holds together in a ball. It’s too dry if the dough is cracking, but too wet if the dough is sticky.
4) Split the dough in half (one half slightly larger than the other). Wrap both halves in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about in hour. If you refrigerate longer, just leave the dough out on the counter for a few minutes before trying to roll it out. While the dough chills, prepare your berry filling.
Berry filling:
1) Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F.
2) In a large bowl, whisk together the the flour, sugar, lemon zest, and cinnamon. Add in all the berries and fold the mixture together gently with a rubber spatula. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the berries and mix in gently.
3) Take one of pie crust doughs out of the fridge– the larger one, if you made one slightly larger. On a clean, lightly floured surface, roll the dough out into a circle using a rolling pin. Add flour to the crust and rolling pin to make sure nothing sticks. Make sure to flip the dough a few times– I always flip it three times– that is my aunt’s pie-making secret :). Do this by rolling the crust up onto the rolling pin, re-flour the surface underneath it, and then flip the crust over. This helps to make sure the dough won’t be stuck to the surface. You want the dough rolled a bit bigger than the actual pie plate.
4) To put the crust into the pie plate, roll the pie crust onto the rolling pin, and slide it onto the pie plate, unrolling gently. Lightly press the dough to take shape of the plate. If you have any large amounts of crust hanging over the edges, gently trim the extra.
5) Fill the pie crust with the berry filling and even out the filling with a spatula.
6) Take out your remaining pie crust dough from the fridge. This is your top crust. Roll it out the same way you rolled out the bottom crust. If you want a solid top crust, you can place it on top of the pie by rolling the dough up onto the rolling pin, and unrolling on top of the pie. If you want to do a lattice top, like in these pictures, use a knife to gently cut even strips of pie dough– about 1/2-3/4 an inch wide.
For Lattice: Think about your circular pie as having 4 sides. I’m going to call each strip of pie dough by a number.
Lay strip 1 of dough along the left, outermost edge of the pie.
Lay strip 2 perpendicular to strip 1– along the top outermost edge. The end of strip 2 should be laying over the end of strip 1.
Take strip 3 and lay it parallel to strip 1, leaving a little bit of space so that the berry mixture shows through. The end of strip 3 should be laying on top of and perpendicular to strip 2.
Before laying strip 4, peel back strip 1 by taking the loose end and folding it back on top of itself. Lay strip 4 parallel to strip 2, again leaving space for berries to show. Strip 4 should be underneath strip 1 (that’s why you peeled it back) and on top of strip 3. Fold strip 1 back down so that it’s on top of strip 4.
Now, fold back strip 2, from the loose end, so that it’s folded on top of itself. Lay strip 5, parallel to strips 1 & 3, so that it’s under strip 2 (that’s why you folded it back) and on top of strip 4. Fold strip 2 back down so that it’s on top of strip 5.
Continue this under-over process until you’ve covered the pie. It sounds much more complicated than it actually is, I promise 🙂
7) Crimp the edges by using two knuckles to press into the dough from the outside, and use a knuckle from your other hand to gently press in from the inside of the pie, out between your two other knuckles.
See the crimped edges?
8) Cover the pie with aluminum foil. Place it on a large baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in your 425 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Then, remove the foil, and bake another 20-30 minutes, or until crust is brown and berries are juicy.
9) Remove the pie from the oven and cool it on a wire baking rack or hot-mit.
10) Eat! Enjoy it warm or cool the it completely, cover, and refrigerate until you’re ready to serve. My favorite way to eat it is a la mode. Want to keep it vegan? Try Trader Joe’s Soy Creamy cherry chocolate chip ice cream.
Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…pie. Enjoy!
