Hi there.
This summer, I set a resolution: to make (at least) one pie each month.
For June, I managed to glean enough cherries — some sweet, some sour, some everywhere in between — off street trees in the North Portland area to make a delectable cherry pie, which was the hit of the monthly potluck at the local gem that is Rhythm Seed Farm. When there was none to take home after an hour-and-a-half gathering, I knew I had a culinary success on my hands.
For July, I’m already in the midst of gathering whatever local wild berries I can get my hands on — and manage to not eat as soon as I pick each off the bush.
Unfortunately, thimbleberries (Rubus parviflorus) — probably my favorite berry for both their fuzzy foliage and tart taste — can tend to smoosh into red-staining juice when picked. This makes them difficult to gather in large quantities, but all the more decadent eating them right where you find them.
While eating wild berries right where you find them can be an effortless delight, gathering enough to preserve into a jam or pie qualifies more as a labor of love.
That’s why I’m posting this at the beginning of July instead of the end, so anyone who wants to put this recipe into practice can start accumulating their stash of wild blackberries, blackcap raspberries, thimbleberries, salmonberries, or otherwise while the summer is still young.
If you don’t have that time, discipline, or access to forage for wild berries, this recipe works just as well with cultivated berries you can buy from the farmer’s market.
The filling is adapted from a recipe for “Betsy’s Four Berry Pie” I saved from my hometown newspaper The OC Register more than a decade back.
The crust came from a tart cherry pie recipe (whose online source I can’t seem to locate at the moment), which I prefer to use for all my pies. While the powdered sugar adds an extra sweet touch, the egg helps bind everything together so it won’t fall apart and cause a headache rolling it out and transferring to the pie plate. If you’re intimidated by making pies for this reason, this recipe might just change your mind.
Jeffree Morel’s Mixed Berry Pie Recipe
Ingredients
Crust:
200 g / 1 ⅓ cups flour
1 tsp salt
¼ cup (powdered) sugar*
152 g / 1 ⅓ sticks cold butter
½ tbsp water
1 egg
Filling:
1 cup sugar*
A pinch and a half salt
5-6 cups fresh or frozen mixed berries (options: blueberries, strawberries, thimbleberries, blackberries, raspberries, huckleberries, etc.)
⅓ cup cornstarch
⅓ cup raspberry liqueur (i.e. Chambord) or other fruit liqueur (optional)
¼ cup water
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Crust:
1. In bowl or food processor, combine butter, flour, salt, and sugar into a coarse meal with some large pieces remaining.
2. Whisk egg and water together in separate bowl. Add slowly and mix into dry ingredients until dough sticks together.
3. Shape dough into a disc, wrap in plastic, and place in fridge to chill for at least 30 minutes.
Filling:
4. Combine sugar, cornstarch, salt, and cinnamon in large saucepan or Dutch oven. Mix in berries (thawed enough to separate), liqueur, water, and lemon juice.
5. Heat and stir frequently on medium heat until thickened, about 10-15 minutes. Turn off heat and let cool for at least 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350F. Remove chilled crust from fridge and roll out on floured surface, like a countertop or silicon mat, to about 12 inches with even thickness throughout. Grease a 9-inch pie pan, flip crust into it, and press down to cover the bottom and sides. Crimp edges to make it look fancy. [Rolling a pie crust can seem tricky at first, but you’ll get better with practice, especially with this crust, which is not as flaky as other recipes I’ve found.]
7. Pour cooled filling into prepared pie crust. Transfer to preheated oven and bake for 50 minutes.
8. Take out pie once crust has browned evenly along the sides and let cool for at least two hours – preferably more – so the filling can set. Enjoy slices with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
*consider substituting white sugar for a less processed alternative, such as date sugar, coconut sugar, or sucanat (short for “sugar cane natural”).
Did you enjoy this recipe? Plan to make it yourself or have other favorite recipes for summer berries? Let me know in the comments. Foraging for Recipes is a new feature for this blog, so also let me know if you have any suggestions on additional information you’d like to see for later Foraging for Recipes.
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Yum yum yum!!!!