Summer Berry Pie
Yields: 1 pie
Serves: 8-12
Ingredients:
1 batch pastry dough (recipe below)
Filling:
- 3 cups fresh blueberries (17 ounces)
- 2 cups fresh raspberries (9 to 10 ounces)
- 1 cup fresh blackberries (5 to 6 ounces)
- ⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
Frangipane
- ⅓ cup whole, raw almonds or almond flour
- 1 egg
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons sugar
- 6 tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon almond extract or vanilla
Directions:
Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400°F. Place rimmed baking sheet in bottom of oven to catch any possible spills from pie. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Save the rest for a pie topper. Transfer to 9-inch pie dish. Pinch the edges of the crust, forming a ruffle and a high-standing rim extending 1/4 inch above sides of the pie dish. Chill the crust in the refrigerator or freezer while making filling.
For filling:
Combine blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, 1/3 cup sugar, and lemon juice in large bowl. Let stand 10 minutes. Mix cornstarch and remaining 2 tablespoons sugar in small bowl. Add to berry mixture and toss gently to coat.
Frangipane: (inspired by Smitten Kitchen recipe)
Use a food processor to grind the almonds. You can also use almond flour if you prefer for this step. Add flour to food processor and combine well. Add sugar, butter and extract if using. Blend until smooth. Pour into a small to medium bowl. Add the egg and stir well to combine. Cover this mixture and chill for 3 hours. The process can be sped up with 20-30 minutes in the freezer, or don’t freeze at all if you’re in a hurry. It will be fine.
Pie Assembly:
Put a few fork holes in the bottom of the crust before baking. Place pie weights or dried beans in the empty crust to keep it from bubbling up too much. The whole surface should be mostly covered with weights or beans.
Blind bake the bottom pie crust for 10-15 minutes in the preheated oven. Remove crust from oven and carefully remove the weights or beans when they’ve cooled.
Coat bottom of the pie with frangipane mixture. Place berries on top, mounded a bit in the center of the crust. Roll out remaining pie dough and cover the berry mixture with the pie topper. Neatly pinch the edges to seal the pie.
Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Return pie to oven and bake until crust is golden brown and berry juices are bubbling thickly, about 40-45 minutes. You may need to cover the edges of the pie with aluminum foil to prevent them from burning. Transfer pie to rack and cool completely.
Basic Pastry Dough (Pie Crust)
Yields: a crust for a 9 inch pie pan
Ingredients:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
Large pinch sea salt
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled
5 to 6 tablespoons chilled water
Directions:
Place the flour and the salt in the bowl of a food processor and blend well. Alternatively, mix in a bowl with a pastry cutter or whisk.
Cut butter into ½ inch cubes and add to the flour.
If using a food processor, pulse until the butter is incorporated into the flour and the mixture looks like coarse cornmeal or the butter pieces are pea-sized. If using a pastry cutter, or your hands, mix the flour and butter together until you have pea-sized butter pieces.
With the food processor running, add the water and pulse briefly, or just until the pastry beings to hold together.
Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a ball. Refrigerate if necessary.
The Empowered Kitchen Tips:
This dough freezes really well. Label, date and seal tightly in a plastic bag. It’s good to double or triple this recipe, so you can always have some on hand for an emergency.