I had meant to post this recipe last week but our Internet slowed to a crawl and that plus a toddler who refused to nap caused me to postpone sharing it until today. But I think it’s worth the wait?
This pie is everything I love about summer: sweet, juicy fruit folded into a flaky, wholesome pie crust (see recipe notes for a tip on how to make your bottom crust layer crisp). Of course, it’s not technically summer just yet but we’ve been feeling quite summery temperatures for awhile now and when Memorial Day weekend hit I decided it was time to celebrate the season. I had to use frozen berries here but soon enough we’ll be in the States availing ourselves of true summer’s bounty and I will make it again, possibly even with hand-picked blackberries.
I have a few summer baking projects I’d like to tackle in the upcoming months: strawberry shortcakes with really good shortcakes, a rhubarb pie, a sweet cherry pie, roasted berry frozen Greek yogurt, and the like. Obviously the common them is fruit and I can’t wait to get my hands on some locally-grown fresh beauties. I’ll have a recipe for a delicious watermelon daiquiri next week, inspired by some of the best watermelon I’ve ever eaten (probably not grown in KSA but most likely from somewhere nearby in the region. As a side note, I do appreciate the grocery stores here labeling the fruit and vegetables’ country of origin. A lot is flown in though there is a decent amount that is grown in country via greenhouses.). And I have some good-looking plums in the fridge practically begging me to turn them into a crumble. Who am I to argue?
I always have issues with a soggy bottom pie crust. To help keep it crisp, place a large rimmed baking sheet in the oven while it’s preheating. When oven is ready, place prepared pie on the sheet; this little trick will help keep the pastry crisp and flaky.
Makes 10 servings.
Crust
8 ounces cold unsalted butter
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup buttermilk
Filling
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3⁄4 cup raw sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1⁄4 teaspoon salt
1⁄4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Make the crust: Cut the butter into 1-inch pieces.
In a large bowl whisk together the flours, sugar and salt. Take the cold butter from the freezer and toss it with the flour mixture.
Dump the cold butter cubes and flour mixture onto a large work area for rolling. With a rolling pin, roll the mixture, flattening the butter cubes with the flour into long, thin, floured butter sheets. Work quickly to ensure that the butter stays cold.
Place the flour and flattened butter back in the bowl and chill for 10 minutes. Remove the bowl from the refrigerator, make a small well in the center, add the cold buttermilk to the bowl all at once. Begin to bring the dough together with one hand. Moisten all of the flour with the buttermilk, breaking up large clumps of milk and flour. The dough will be rather shaggy; add another tablespoon of buttermilk if all the flour isn’t moistened. Form the dough into two disks and chill the dough for at least an hour in the refrigerator.
When dough is ready, heat oven to 425 F and place a large baking sheet in the oven while it preheats.
Make the filling: Place the blueberries and blackberries in a large bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch, lemon zest, salt and cinnamon. Sprinkle the sugar mixture over the berries and toss to distribute evenly.
Roll out one of the dough disks into a 12-inch circle and line your pie dish with it. Transfer the filling to the dough-lined pan. Dot with the butter. Fit the remaining pie crust on top of the pie and pinch and crimp the edges. Cut vents in the top of the pie.
Place pie in the oven on the baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Then reduce heat to 375 F and bake another 25-30 minutes until crust is lightly browned and filling is bubbly.
Remove from oven, place on a rack, and let cool at least one hour before serving.