Mixed Berry Pie
Generally I try to avoid neighborhood message boards / Facebook Groups because half the time people post things like “there’s a man with a machete standing outside the bodega” or “packs of wild dogs are roaming the streets.” Occasionally, though, someone will post something that’s not terrifying. Such was the case the other day when someone in the Boerum Hill Facebook Group posted that there were cheap/delicious berries at Mr. Beet on Smith Street.
Well! That’s news I can use. So I moseyed on over there and bought several cartons of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries and, because our friend Isaac was coming over for dinner, I decided to make a mixed berry pie.
Generally speaking, all pies are basically the same: you make a crust. You roll it out. You fill it with a mixture of fruit + sugar + cornstarch (or another thickener) + lemon juice + some extra flavorings if you’d like.
For this pie, I used my typical all-butter crust recipe which I have on my refrigerator. Then, for the filling, I used Yossi Arefi’s recipe from The New York Times.
The secret ingredient here is fresh ginger which gives everything a subtle lift, one that you can’t readily identify, but that makes everything taste fresher. (I left out the candied ginger, but that might be nice too.)
As for the pie crust, the Arefi’s recipe has you do a lattice topping which, according to the headnote, isn’t just for the decoration but also to allow the berries to thicken as the liquid evaporates.
I’m not really a lattice guy — geometry was never my strong suit — so I just added a little more cornstarch and put a traditional lid on my pie.
Brushed with egg wash, sprinkled with Turbinado sugar, and cut with three little slits, this pie went into a 425 oven for 10 minutes, then down to 375 for the rest of the 40 - 50 minutes, my own preferred temperatures/times.
And here’s how pretty it was when it came out.
You know it’s done when the crust is golden brown and the liquid is bubbling — that means it’s at a boil and that the cornstarch will activate.
I let it cool for the rest of the day and that night, after serving up some grilled chicken, I sliced up the pie and served it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
It’s the perfect way to kick off summer. So ignore your neighborhood message boards when they say that death is looming outside your door. But if they tell you about cheap berries? It’s time to pay attention.
Mixed Berry Pie
A celebration of summer berries, inspired by Yossy Arefi’s recipe from The New York Times.
Ingredients:
For the pie dough:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 sticks very cold butter, cut into cubes
3/4 cup ice water
For the pie filling:
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1 lemon
5 tablespoons cornstarch
2 teaspoons grated, peeled fresh ginger
4 cups blueberries
2 cups blackberries
2 cups raspberries
Pinch kosher salt
To finish:
1 egg
Turbinado sugar, for sprinkling
Instructions:
Start by making your pie dough. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, the salt, and the sugar. Add your very cold butter and begin pinching it in with your fingers. Work fast: you want the butter to stay cold while you integrate it with the dry ingredients. You’ll know you’re done when the flour looks like coarse meal with a few pea-sized chunks. Now add your ice water, a little at a time, working it in, just until you can hold a clump of dough together without it falling apart. Dump on to a floured board, knead just enough to make a ball. Cut in half, shape each half into a disc, flatten it, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for at least one hour or overnight.
Preheat your oven to 425.
In a large bowl, pinch together the sugar and the zest from your lemon. This helps release the oils. Add the corn starch, the ginger, the berries, the juice of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Toss all together until the cornstarch is no longer visible, then set aside.
Place your 9-inch pie plate on to a foil-lined cookie sheet.
Roll out your first disc of dough on a floured surface until 12 inches wide. Drape over the pie plate, pour the filling in. Repeat with the other disc and drape over the filling. Pinch the two crusts together, cut off any excess so you have a 1-inch overhang all around. Fold it over itself to create a border wall, then pinch it together with your thumb and forefinger to make it decorative. Or just press it with a fork.
Beat the egg with a little water then brush all over the pie crust. Sprinkle with the Turbinado sugar and pop into the oven for 10 minutes. Lower the temperature to 375 and cook another 40 to 50 minutes until golden brown all over and until the juices are bubbling. Set aside to cool for at least two hours before serving.
