This summer, the blackberry bramble in our back yard has been more prolific than ever. A combination of heavy rain and our neglect have produced a happy result: berries, berries, berries.
Most days we have enough for a couple of snacks, but we’ve also gathered enough to use in a full-size pie.
Fruit pies are available commercially all year, but a homemade pie elevates the experience into a whole new realm: flaky crust and juicy fruit without any unidentified fillers or flavors.
You may balk at the idea of making pie crust from scratch, and there are reasonable pre-made ones on the market that only need to be unfolded and placed in the pie pan, except that’s one of the more treacherous parts of making a pie: getting the crust in the pan without holes or tears.
In an effort to overcome my pie crust fears, I discovered that the secret is the same as with many other skills: practice. You can prepare crust up to the point of putting it in the pan, wrap in plastic and freeze it for another day, if practicing on several whole pies at once doesn’t fit your plans.
The recipe I settled on is from the cookbook I mentioned a couple of weeks ago, The New York Times Cook Book from 1961 by Craig Claiborne. It offers enough information for success, without an overwhelming amount of detail.
Preliminary tips
n Use lard or hydrogenated vegetable shortening rather than butter or margarine for greater tenderness. Use ice water: measure the water then drop a couple of ice cubes in it until use.
n Use a pastry blender or two knives to cut the fat into the flour. Using your fingers will warm and soften the fat so that the pastry will be less flaky. Use a fork to mix in the water.
n Rolling the dough. This can be one of the most frustrating parts. Sprinkle plenty of flour on your board and rolling pin. If the dough does stick, scrape it up with a knife or pastry scraper and add the bits back to the dough. Roll from the center out to the edge to prevent overworking and kneading the dough, which will make it tough.
To patch tears, cut off a bit from the outside edge and moisten the patch and both sides of the tear with water before patting the patch into place.
n To prevent the bottom crust from being soaked by moist filling, brush it with slightly beaten egg white or shortening.
Most important, remember that an imperfect pie still blesses both the cook and the eaters! If hypercritical visitors find fault, perhaps they would teach you their methods, or bring the pie themselves next time.
Basic Pie Pastry
(for a two-crust 9 inch pie or 6 tarts)
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/3 cup cold water, approximately
Step 1: Sift together the flour and salt.
Step 2: Using a pastry blender or two knives, chop in the shortening until the mixture resembles coarse cornmeal.
Step 3: Sprinkle water over the top of the flour while tossing the mixture up from the bottom with a fork. Add only enough water to thoroughly dampen all the flour mixture.
Step 4: Press all the dough together and divide it into two portions, one slightly larger than the other. Wrap separately in plastic wrap and chill for one-half hour before rolling.
Step 5: Place the larger piece of dough on a floured board and pat flat with a floured rolling pin (in a pinch I have also used a wine bottle and large-diameter segment of broom handle, but always floured.)
Step 6: Roll from the center in all directions, loosening the pastry and reflouring the board and rolling pin as necessary. Roll into a round about 1/8 inch thick and about 2 inches larger in diameter than the top of the pie pan.
Step 7: Flour again and gently fold the dough into quarters. Fit the dough loosely into the pan without stretching. Trim the dough slightly larger than the outside rim of the pan.
Step 8: At this point you can bag, date and freeze the crust for later use.
Step 9: If using immediately, brush with a light film of egg white or shortening and add filling.
Step 10: Stack the pastry trimmings onto the remaining dough and roll as above until about one inch larger than the top of the pie pan. Fold into quarters and cut several small gashes to allow steam to escape.
Step 11: Moisten the rim of the lower crust, place the top crust on the filled pan and unfold. Avoid stretching the pastry. Tuck the rim of the top beneaththe edge of the under crust and flute with the fingers, making a tight seal.
Step 12: Bake as directed for the filling used.
Pie Filling
In this season of wonderful fresh fruit, here is a method to allow you to turn whatever you have, even assorted small amounts, into a delicious treat:
(from the 1997 edition of The Joy of Cooking)
5 cups sliced fruit or berries
3/4 cup sugar
3 Tbs.. quick-cooking tapioca or cornstarch
1 Tbs.. strained fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. salt
2 to 3 Tbs.. chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Tart fruits, such as sour cherries, rhubarb, cranberries, gooseberries, blackberries, fresh currants and green tomatoes will need 1 to 1 1/2 cups sugar.
Step 1: Preheat oven to 425 degrees and position a rack in the lower third.
Step 2: Mix the fruit, sugar, thickener, lemon juice and salt. Let stand for 15 minutes before pouring into the prepared crust.
Step 3: Dot the butter pieces over the filling.
Step 4: Cover with the vented top crust and seal the edges as above.
Step 5: Bake the pie at 425 degrees for 30 minutes, then slip a baking sheet underneath it, reduce the oven to 350 degrees and bake until thick juices bubble through the vents, about 30 minutes more. The crust should be golden brown.
Step 6: Let cool on a rack before serving.
Here are some combination ideas in case you don’t have quite enough of any one fruit (please note that strawberries are not a good addition to baked pies):
3 1/2 cups sliced peeled peaches and 1 1/2 cups berries
3 1/2 cups sliced peeled apples and 1 1/2 cups berries
1/2 cups sliced bananas and 2 1/2 cups blueberries.
