Fresh Blueberry and Raspberry Pie

January 31st, 2010

This post could also be titled: “How to surprise and awe your wife on a lazy Sunday evening.”  Rachel and I were sitting on the couch, enjoying the fire and reading.  Like she does on many occasions, she asked me to get her some ice cream.  (She’s always polite.)  So I got up and went into the kitchen.  About 45 minutes later I walked out of the kitchen with a fresh blueberry and raspberry pie in my mits.  She was surprised.  She was awed.  I think she had a sneaking suspicion I was not bringing her ice cream after the first 10 minutes and I did not return.

I have had a craving for cobbler for a while now.  Every night I come home I tell myself I am going to make it, but tonight I decided to actually do it.  Here is a little story for you about my love of cobbler.  First of all, I feel sad for you because you probably don’t have the same grandma I do.

My grandma makes the best berry cobbler.  Every time I come to visit she tells the story about little Keith.  When I was little my family and I would travel to Grandma’s for a vacation each summer.  As soon as I arrived I would run straight to the blackberry or raspberry patch (whichever was in season at the time).  I’d pick a bucketful of berries and run straight back to Grandma and beg her to make me a cobbler.  Of course, being the world’s best grandma, she would oblige.  Later that evening I would be in Heaven.  At least I can truly say that I will enjoy Heaven when I get there full-time, but for now I just have those small moments to latch on to.

Unfortunately I cannot make quite the same cobbler my grandma does.  I keep trying and she keeps telling me how to do it.  It is never the same.  Fast-forward to tonight.   I whipped out Rachel’s “Pie and Pastry Bible” and searched for a new cobbler recipe.  I did not immediately find one, but what I did find looked delicious.  I found a recipe for Fresh blueberry pie.  A side note about recipes: I’m one of those people that can’t take a recipe and just follow it.  I have read some other blogs regarding this subject.  I do believe it is ironic because I proceed to post my modified recipe for others to follow.  Back to it then: All I really changed was to speed-up the crust-making time and added raspberries to make up for the no-cobbler.  (We all know that cobbler must have more than one type of berry!)

I put my dream of cobber on hold for a bit longer in order to try something new.  What is the recipe you ask?  Good question, but before I serve this evening’s dessert course I must tell you about our friend’s amazing Valentine’s day special: A box of beef!  How cool is that?  Don’t tell Rachel, but I think I’m going to get her one!  On with the show, Here’s what I did:

Crust Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cup unbleached pastry flour
• 8 tablespoons of butter (1 stick)
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
• 4 tablespoons ice water
• 2 teaspoons of kosher salt

Crust Method:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Cut the butter into 3/4 inch cubes and place in a small bowl in the freezer while you get the rest of the ingredients, measure them into small containers so they are ready when you are.
3. Whisk the flour and salt together in a medium bowl
4. Add the butter using a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles course crumbs
5. Place the mixture into a gallon zip-lock bag, remove the air as you seal
6. Roll the mixture with a rolling pin so that the butter and flour form a flaky crust
7. Remove the flakes and scrape the bag, set the bag aside
8. Add the water and vinegar and mix with a spatula
9. Place the mixture bag into the bag and knead, using the bag as a “glove”, until it forms a ball.
10. Place the ball on a floured surface, flour the top a bit and flatten it.  Roll it out to fit your pie pan and then shape it into your pan
11. Poke a bunch of fork holes in the side and bottom
12. Bake it for about 20 minutes or until it is golden brown on the bottom.  I covered my sides after about 15 minutes to keep them from over-browning.
13. Let the crust cool a bit before filling it.

Filling Ingredients:

• 8 cups of fresh berries*
• 1 cup of water + 4 tablespoons of water
• 1 cup of sugar
•  6 tablespoons of corn starch
• 2 teaspoons of fresh-squeezed lemon juice

Filling Method:

1. Place the 1-cup of water and 2 cups of berries (I used 1 cup raspberry and 1 cup blueberry) into a saucepan and bring to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the 6-tablespoons (each) water and corn starch together
3. After the berries come to a boil, reduce them to a simmer and stir for about 5 more minutes.
4.  Add the corn starch mixture, sugar, and lemon juice to the simmering berries
5. Stir for another minute or until the mixture becomes translucent.  (I believe this step is important.  My pie did not set because I doubled the recipe here, but forgot to double the corn starch and added it at the last minute, skipping this step for the second portion.)
6. Add the rest of the berries, mix and remove the saucepan from heat.
7. Pour the berries into the cooked pie crust and let it set for 2 hours.  This is the hard part!
8. Serve and enjoy a small taste of heaven in your mouth.

I hope you enjoy it!

*Since it is January, we don’t have fresh berries.  Of course your could go to the grocery store and get frozen or unripe, tasteless, bitter “fresh” berries.  I prefer to use our frozen summer surplus.  Rachel picked berries until her hands fell off this summer, so we have a freezer full of freezer jam and whole berries.  I like to rinse the frozen berries in cold water to remove the frost and make them soft again to use in recipes like this during the dead of winter.