Oregon has some of the best berries on the planet! Fresh picked sweet-tart blackberries baked in a super flaky crust: Very Berry-licious indeed.
Author: Portlandia Pie Lady
Ingredients
Berry Filling
5cupsmarionberries (blackberries, tayberries, etc.)(see notes below when using thawed frozen berries)
1tablespoonorange juice**
1tablespoonlemon juice**
Zestof 1/2 medium sized orange**
1tablespoonbutter
1cup pure cane granulated sugar
1/3cupClearjel food starch or tapioca starch or corn starch
Coupleof dashes of salt
1eggbeaten with 2 tablespoons water for egg wash
Grandma's Pie Crust (for 9-inch double crust)
2cupsall purpose flour (for gluten free, use gluten free flour mix, see notes below on cutting flowers)
1cupvegetable shortening or butter (if butter is cold cut into very small pieces)
2tablespoonssugar
1teaspoonsalt
1/8 teaspoonbaking powder
1/2cup cold water
Instructions
Pie Crust: 9-inch crust
Place all of the dry ingredients into a large bowl.
Using a large fork or pastry cutter, cut in the shortening (or butter) into dry ingredients until there are crumbly pea-sized pieces.
Add the cold water all at once and mix just until forms a ball (do not kneed or over mix).
Divide dough in half (this will be rather soft). Roll out one half on heavily floured counter top about 1 to 1-1/2 inches wider than pie plate. Unroll onto pie plate,cut extra dough off edges and crimp. Save other half of dough to roll out and cut shapes for top.
Fresh Berry Filling Directions & Assembly
Preheat oven to 375 F.
In a large size bowl, mix dry ingredients together, sugar, starch, salt, and orange zest. (If you decide to flower cookie cutters for the top crust, follow the par/pre-cooking filling instructions below in notes.)
Add the berries into the dry ingredients with the orange & lemon juices. Gently stir together.
Pour the filling into the prepare bottom crust and dot with the tablespoon of butter.
Roll out remainder of pie dough and cut into desired shapes. I used different sizes of flower cookie cutters, first layering on the large flowers and then adding the smaller ones to cover some of the gaps (leaving some spaces open for steam to escape).
Carefully brush with egg wash, placing flowers/shapes back into place. Sprinkle with a couple of tablespoons of sugar. Bake 375 for 55 to 60 minutes.
Notes
Gluten Free pie crust flowers the dough needs to be frozen and the cutouts need to be kept frozen for placing onto pie. Roll the dough onto wax paper, place on baking sheet and freeze for at least 20 minutes. Remove from freezer and cut a few flowers at a time, placing the cut outs on a separate piece of wax paper. Place the remaining dough back into freezer for about 5 minutes in between flower cutouts. When you have as many flowers as you need (about 20 to 30 depending on sizes) freeze the cutouts for a good 10 to 20 minutes and place them onto pie in a frozen state. Bake as above. Par/Pre-Cooking filling:
In a large sauce pan, mix dry ingredients together, sugar, starch, salt, and orange zest. Add the berries into the dry ingredients with the orange & lemon juices, and butter. Gently stir together.
Turn heat to medium-high , gently stirring so as not to break up the berries too much if possible. Once it starts to simmer, turn the burner down to medium, keeping the berries simmering.
Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes.
Pour mixture into prepared pie shell.
Brush egg wash on frozen top crust, place on top of pie, sprinkle extra sugar if desired, and bake for 30 minutes @ 375 F.
Using Thawed Frozen Berries:
If berries are completely thawed, place in a large sauce pan.
Add the sugar, zest, lemon/orange juice and stir.
Heat the berries and sugar over medium to medium-high heat and let simmer about 15 minutes. Remove from heat, but leave in sauce pan.
Spoon out about 1/2 cup of the liquid into a small bowl, cool in fridge or stir in ice cube until it is melted. Stir the cornstarch into the cooled liquid.
Return the berry filling to the stove top, heat on medium-high and using a flat spatula, slowly add the cornstarch slurry into the berry mixture.
Stir bottom and sides of pan as the filling thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes, it will lose the opaque color as it thickens. Remove from heat and add 1 tablespoon butter, stir until melted.
Place into prepared pie and bake as directed above.
**Lemon & Orange Juice & ZestYou may substitute the full juice of one lemon & one-half of a lemon zested and omit orange all together.