Dia de Muertos with pie crust marigolds for the perfect headdress for your Calavera Catrina on a triple berry pie with orange zest, a nod to Pan de Muerto.
Prep Time3 hourshrs
Cook Time45 minutesmins
Servings: 10
Equipment
Gel food colorings
3 sizes of flower cookie cutters (for large & small marigolds)
Small 5 petal cookie cutter for cheeks/chin of skull
Fine tip food safe paint brushes
3 eggs plus 1/4 cup water (for food coloring washes/paint)
Empty egg cartons for pie crust marigolds
Parchment paper (full sheets and about 20 pieces cut into 2-1/2-inch squares for marigolds)
Ingredients
Triple Berry Filling
5cupsmixed berries (black raspberry, red raspberry, gooseberry, blackberry, blueberries, etc.)
1tablespoonorange juice
zestofhalf of a small orange
1cuppure cane granulated sugar
1/3cup clearjel food starch or tapioca starch
dashof salt
1tablespoon butter
Grandma's Pie Crust - bottom crust, marigold flowers & extra cutouts
3cupsall purpose flour
1-1/2teaspoonsalt
1/4cuppure cane sugar
1/8teaspoonbaking powder
1-1/2cupsvegetable shortening
3/4cupcold water
Instructions
Berry Filling
In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients together, sugar, starch. Toss the berries into the dry ingredients, being careful not to break them up too much. Add the orange zest and juice. **(If using frozen berries, see directions below.)
Place the berry filling in a large pan on the stovetop over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Remove from heat. Add the butter and stir gently until melted. Set aside and let cool in fridge while preparing bottom crust, sugar skull, and flowers. The berry filling can sit overnight in the fridge.
Pie Crust
Stir in all dry ingredients and cut in the vegetable shortening with a large fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
Add the cold water all at once and mix just until forms a ball (do not kneed or over mix). Cover with plastic wrap or towel as you are using the dough to make the flowers, skull, etc.
Assembly and Baking
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Make the marigolds as per the pictures above. Place in refrigerator for a few minutes before painting. Cut out the skull, cut out eyes and nose, making imprints for teeth.
Cut leaves, and small flowers for pie crust edge if desired.
Make the colors for the marigolds by beating 3 eggs with 1/4 cup water. Divide into 3 custard cups. For a pretty color of red, add a couple of drops of red and a very small drop of brown for a red umber (brick red). Place all flowers/leaves in freezer.
White food coloring and black food coloring does not need to be thinned with water. Let the white dry completely before painting on other colors. However, to get the black to seep into the teeth crevices, mix a couple of drops of black into 1 tablespoon of water, use a fine tip brush to apply.
Roll out the bottom crust and place in pie plate. Add the prepared pie filling.
Place on the skull, marigold flowers, leaves and extra flowers around edge.
Bake for 45 minutes.
Frozen Berry Instructions
Save & strain the juice that separates from the thawed berries.In a sauce pan add the sugar and starch from recipe above, stir together to help eliminate lumps.
Pour the strained berry juice, orange zest, and juice. Over medium high heat, whisk while cooking until the juice loses the opaque color and thickens. Add the butter and fold in the thawed berries. Bake as above.