Easy As Pie!

photo by Christina Klevorn 2013

photo by Christina Klevorn 2013

My mom's birthday was this week.  She's not a cake person.  In fact, most of the family prefers pie over cake.   It was no surprise that Mom requested pie.  There is an abundance of local fruits available at farm stands and farmer's markets--even the grocery stores right now.  After some deliberations,  Mom chose blackberry.  Good choice, Mom.

My dear Granny was famous for her pies.  She made at least one per week--every Sunday-- for most of her long life.  I learned from the master.  Making a pie is not too difficult, but there are a few rules that you need to follow.  I am going to share them with you and Granny's recipe!

If you are just getting started or making crust scares you--its okay!  The refrigerated pie crusts are very good.  Granny even approved of them!  They're great when you're pressed for time.  Trader Joe's has a wonderful frozen crust (not a shell).  It's sweet and buttery with a crumbly texture.  I used it last year for peach pie, and it was perfect.  I'm not crazy about frozen pie shells, however.  I tend to stick with Pillsbury's refrigerated pie crusts.  They are rolled, not folded.

Here's a few secrets when using prepared crusts:

• Let one of the crusts come to room temperature.  Place it in your pie pan and refrigerate it until you're ready to fill it.  Let the top crust come to room temperature just before you fill the pie.
• Carefully unroll or unfold.  Folded crusts can be gently smoothed with a lightly floured rolling pin on a lightly floured surface so the creases don't advertise that you've used a prepared crust.  
• Sometimes the crust sticks to itself and tears.  Just gently press or patch with a little piece from the edge that hangs over the pie pan.  
• Try not to leave tears or holes in the bottom crust because the filling will leak under the crust and the crust will become soggy.  
• The top crust needs to have some way for the steam to vent or you'll have an explosion in your oven.  Vents can be slits cut in with a knife, holes poked randomly with a fork or using a Pie Bird if you have one.   I'm making a lattice top today, so it's self-venting.  
• Lattice tops are good with juicy pies--cherry, blackberry, blueberry, peach.  They're not good with apple.  Fresh apple pie needs more steam so the apples get cooked.

Basic Pie Crust (For a 8 or 9 inch double crust pie)

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup shortening

4-5 tablespoon cold water (on a warm day, or in a warm kitchen, use ice water--don't put the ice in the dough)


1.  Combine the flour and salt by hand  in a medium mixing bowl.   With a fork or pastry blender,  gently work in the shortening until the pieces are the size of small peas.  The dough should be crumbly.  2.  Add cold water a tablespoon at a time, tossing dough with a fork until all the flower-coated bits of shortening are barely damp--don't over mix!
3.  Turn mixture onto a square of parchment or waxed paper.  Gather up corners, pressing from the outside to form a compact ball.  Divide into 2 balls for top and bottom crust.  Chill.
4.  Roll pastry 1/8 inch thick, rolling lightly from center to outer edges on a lightly floured surface using a lightly floured rolling pin.  Transfer to pie pan by rolling dough onto the pin, lifting it on the pin and unrolling it on the pan.  Do not press crust in pan. Trim excess dough with a knife to about 1/2 inch from the edge of the pan.  Fold that under without pressing.
5.  After the pie is filled,  Roll out top crust.  Cut out lattice strips, or slash vents.  Transfer to pan the same way you did the bottom crust.  Trim to 1/2 inch of edge and fold under the top crust.  Now press the top to the bottom crust all the way around.  You can crimp by pressing the crust between your thumb and finger of one had ad the forefinger of your other hand, or press with the tines of a fork.  This seals in the juice and keeps the crusts from shrinking when the pie bakes.  Refrigerate it the crust gets soft.
6.  Brush the top crust with a bit of milk and bake according to filling recipe.



Give your berries a good rinse in a colander and let them dry a bit.  I have been using King Arthur Flour's Instant Clearjel www.kingarthurflour.com.  It is the fruit pie baker's best friend.  It thickens the juice, but doesn't turn cloudy or funky-looking.  When you cut your pie, the juice and berries don't run all over the place, either because it forms a nice gel.  It comes in an 8 oz. jar.  Should last me awhile.

photo by Christina Klevorn 2013

photo by Christina Klevorn 2013

Berry Pie

2/3 to 1 cup sugar (adjust to the sweetness of the berries)

2 tablespoons cornstarch of Instant Clearjel (King Arthur Flour) or 4 tablespoons flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

3 cups fresh berries (use more if you're using a deep dish pie pan)

1 recipe Plain Pastry or 1 package of ready-made pie crusts

1 tablespoon butter

Mix sugar, Clearjel (or cornstarch or flour), and salt in a small bowl.  sprinkle over fruit in a 9 inch pastry-lined pie pan.  Dot with butter and adjust top crust.  Bake in hot (450 degrees) oven 10 minutes, then in moderate (350) degrees for about 30 minutes.  Allow to cool on baking rack.

To make the lattice top crust

On a lightly floured surface, use a knife, pizza cutter or a ravioli cutter to cut top crust into 1 to 2 inch wide strips.  I used a ravioli cutter because I like the jagged edges.  Lay about half the strips on top of filling, leaving an inch or so between strips.  Gently fold back every other strip and lay another strip in the opposite direction.  Fold strips back.  Alternate folding strips as you "weave" the strips in the opposite direction.  Trim ends and fold under.  Flute or crimp edge.  Lightly brush with milk. Bake.

photo by Christina Klevorn 2013

What to do with the left over dough???

photo by Christina Klevorn 2013

You'll have some strips left over.  I hate to throw them away.  Granny used to let me make my own pie.  If you have a helper, this is a good way to get them involved in baking.  Take a mini tart pan, ramekin or cookie sheet and arrange the strips.  Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, dot with a little butter and bake with the pie for about 15 minutes.  Sometimes I reserve some of the filling and top with some flour, sugar and butter.  Mmm.  

photo by Christina Klevorn 2013