Nothing says spring and summer like a fresh berry dessert and today I'm making a classic mixed berry pie. You can use any combination of berries in this pie, but if you are using strawberries limit them to two cups of the mixture, as their juices will make it difficult to thicken the pie. This is also a great pie to bake the day before you are serving. It holds very well in the refrigerator.
This recipe cooks some of the berries into a sauce, removes the seeds (as blackberries and strawberries can have rather large seeds) and thickens them with tapioca. I find this method gives you a more sure result when mixing various types of berries together.
I'm also using a graham cracker crumb crust and a streusel topping here, but you could use a traditional pie crust if you prefer. For a graham cracker crust make sure you use a porcelain pie plate, as others will tend to stick making it difficult to remove the pie. My porcelain pie plate shown here is somewhat deeper than a traditional metal or glass pie plate. As you can see, the recipe fills it to level when the topping is applied.
Ingredients
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST AND STREUSEL
3 cups graham graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
BERRY FILLING
6-7 cups mixed fresh berries (see note)
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
Instructions
Spray a 9-inch ceramic pie plate lightly with food release or canola oil. In a food processor bowl, add the graham crackers, flour, sugar and salt and process until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is evenly moist. Remove 2 cups of the mixture from food processor (leaving remaining in bowl of food processor) and pour into prepared pie plate. Press mixture evenly into pie plate and up the sides. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack down the bottom and to flatten the sides where the bottom of the pie plate meets the sides. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight.
Add oats and cinnamon to food processor with remaining graham cracker mixture and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add in the walnuts if using and pulse again until they are moderately chopped. Set aside the streusel topping.
With a rimmed baking sheet set on the oven rack in the lowest position, preheat the heat oven to 350F degrees.
Cook 2 cups berries in saucepan over medium-high heat about 3-4 minutes. Stir in sugar and lemon zest and simmer until berries have mostly broken down, about 7-10 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking to reduce liquid volume by approximately half. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Place a sieve (strainer) over a bowl and pour in the berry mixture. Using a spatula or back of a spoon, work the mixture through the sieve until it is mostly dry and only the seeds and pulp remain. Scrape the outside of the sieve into the accumulated sauce. Stir to combine.
Gently toss cooked berry mixture, remaining berries, and tapioca in large bowl until combined.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer berry mixture to chilled crust, leaving behind any excess juices. Scatter streusel topping evenly over pie. Bake pie on the rimmed baking sheet until fruit is bubbling around edges and streusel is starting to brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool on rack 60 minutes, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve. Goes well with vanilla ice cream.
If you are making a single berry pie you can follow my blackberry pie recipe here. Of course you could make a mixed berry pie using the same technique, but it's often difficult to know how juicy the berries will be and thus how much thickening to use.
This recipe cooks some of the berries into a sauce, removes the seeds (as blackberries and strawberries can have rather large seeds) and thickens them with tapioca. I find this method gives you a more sure result when mixing various types of berries together.
I'm also using a graham cracker crumb crust and a streusel topping here, but you could use a traditional pie crust if you prefer. For a graham cracker crust make sure you use a porcelain pie plate, as others will tend to stick making it difficult to remove the pie. My porcelain pie plate shown here is somewhat deeper than a traditional metal or glass pie plate. As you can see, the recipe fills it to level when the topping is applied.
Ingredients
GRAHAM CRACKER CRUST AND STREUSEL
3 cups graham graham crackers, crushed
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup granulated white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
9 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, optional
BERRY FILLING
6-7 cups mixed fresh berries (see note)
1/2 lemon, zested and juiced
3/4 cup granulated white sugar
3 tablespoons Minute Tapioca
Instructions
Spray a 9-inch ceramic pie plate lightly with food release or canola oil. In a food processor bowl, add the graham crackers, flour, sugar and salt and process until finely ground. Add butter and pulse until the mixture is evenly moist. Remove 2 cups of the mixture from food processor (leaving remaining in bowl of food processor) and pour into prepared pie plate. Press mixture evenly into pie plate and up the sides. Use the bottom of a measuring cup to pack down the bottom and to flatten the sides where the bottom of the pie plate meets the sides. Refrigerate 1 hour or up to overnight.
Add oats and cinnamon to food processor with remaining graham cracker mixture and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add in the walnuts if using and pulse again until they are moderately chopped. Set aside the streusel topping.
With a rimmed baking sheet set on the oven rack in the lowest position, preheat the heat oven to 350F degrees.
Cook 2 cups berries in saucepan over medium-high heat about 3-4 minutes. Stir in sugar and lemon zest and simmer until berries have mostly broken down, about 7-10 minutes. Stir frequently while cooking to reduce liquid volume by approximately half. Remove from heat and let cool 5 minutes. Place a sieve (strainer) over a bowl and pour in the berry mixture. Using a spatula or back of a spoon, work the mixture through the sieve until it is mostly dry and only the seeds and pulp remain. Scrape the outside of the sieve into the accumulated sauce. Stir to combine.
Gently toss cooked berry mixture, remaining berries, and tapioca in large bowl until combined.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer berry mixture to chilled crust, leaving behind any excess juices. Scatter streusel topping evenly over pie. Bake pie on the rimmed baking sheet until fruit is bubbling around edges and streusel is starting to brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Cool on rack 60 minutes, then refrigerate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Serve. Goes well with vanilla ice cream.
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