Yesterday was March 14th. Yesterday was 3.14 day. Yesterday was Pi day!! So in honor of Pi day its only right that I made a delicious homemade pie. I decided to go with triple berry pie. This pie is so good and easy to make It will easily become a go to in your kitchen. And what I really love about this pie is that you can use fresh or frozen berries and it has less sugar than most fruit pies!
For the pie crust I used a double crust recipe to get a top and bottom crust. Here's the recipe:
DOUBLE CRUST RECIPE:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 cup shortening
10 tbs cold butter
6-10 tbs cold ice water
This pie crust is very trustworthy and easy to do. This recipe should give you 2 beautiful flaky pie crusts. You'll want to start with the pie crust first before working on the berries. I start by whisking the flour and salt in a large mixing bowl. Then using a fork, I mix in the shortening. It will look like tiny crumbly pieces which is what you want. Next you'll want to add in your cold butter. I prefer to use a cheese grater to get my cold butter into the flour it makes it very easy mix the butter into the mix. But you could always go the traditional way and just cut them into small cubes and just mix a best as you can with a fork until it resembles pea size crumbs. Some bigger butter pieces are okay. Next work the water into the flour/butter mix 2 tbs at a time to make sure your fully incorporating. It will look like you need to add more than the 10 tbs of water but just trust the process! I typically use 8 or sometimes the full 10 tbs of water. You'll know your dough is ready when you can squeeze it into your hands and it can come together and fall apart easily. Pour your mix onto your work surface and work it into a large disk by folding the dough over itself a few times. You can use your rolling pin to help you achieve this if necessary. Once you have your large disk formed you can cut it in half as even as possible and wrap both crusts tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15-30 min until it feels nice and firm. You can also leave over night for the next day. And there are your top and bottom crusts!
On to the pie filling! If your using fresh berries you'll want to keep your raspberries in full size and I like to just cut my strawberries in half and obviously the blueberries stay how they are. If your using frozen berries then however they come is how you should use them (they are usually already cut).
In a medium/large sauce pan, bring the berries and sugar and lemon juice to a simmer over medium heat. Just until the berries are bubbly and warm and juicy, about 10 min. Make sure to check on them and stir them occasionally.
To thicken the filling you'll want to take about 1/2 cup of the berry mixture and put it in a small bowl and mix in the cornstarch until fully incorporated. Add cornstarch/berry mix back to your simmering berries in the saucepan and stir to combine for a few more minutes until nice and thick, about 5 minutes. Once your berries are thick you'll need to cool them down for at least 15 minutes. I put mine in the freezer. You don't want them steaming hot but they don't have to be 100% cooled down either.
Once your berries are cooled its time to assemble the pie! In your greased 9 inch deep pie pan, place your bottom crust down first. Pour in your batter. Add your top crust on top gently and evenly. Trim the edges and decorate as desired. Make sure to brush with egg wash before putting in the oven and add some steaming vents in the center. I added some raw cane sugar on top for bit a crunchy sweet texture. Bake at 400 for 40-45 minutes until beautiful golden brown and you see some berries bubbling. Make sure to check the pie after about 25 minutes, if the crust is getting too brown add some foil around the edges to prevent burning.
Allow to cool down for a while and then serve warm! You can keep this pie refrigerated. This pie is sooo delicious and the perfect pie for Pi day! Or any day!
RECIPE:
Homemade double pie crust for 9 inch pan (my double crust recipe is above)
7 cups of fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries
1 cup of sugar (plus raw sugar for decor)
2 tbs lemon juice
4 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs butter
1 large egg + 1 tbs of water, beaten for egg wash
DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 400. Follow my double crust recipe above to get your top and bottom crusts.
2. For the filling, cook the berries, sugar, and lemon juice in a medium/large saucepan over medium heat. Bring the the berries to a simmer until they are juicy and bubbling. About 5-10 minutes. Stir occasionally. (this is the point where you should check for you desired sweetness. You can add more sugar if needed)
3. To thicken the filling. take 1/2 cup of the berry mixture into a small bowl and mix in the cornstarch until smooth. Add the cornstarch berry mix back to the simmering berry mix and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to thicken for about 5 minutes. Try your best not to smash the berries while stirring.
4. Once thickened, Cool down your berry mix for at least 15 minutes in the freezer. Pour mixture into your bottom crust.
5. Add your top crust gently and evenly and trim the edges. You can decorate the edges as desired. I use the pinching method but if you don't like to do it that way or if its a struggle you can use a fork and it will still look good.
6. Cut vents in the center of the pie. Brush lightly with egg wash and sprinkle with sugar.
7. Bake in the center of the rack in the oven for 40-45 minutes until golden brown and berries are bubbling. Check the pie after 25 minutes or so, if the crust is getting to dark add some foil around the edges for the remaining cook time.
8. Allow to cool down for a while before serving warm. Or you can refrigerate and serve the next day. Enjoy!
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