I could not resist making a berry pie this week, all the grocery store gods were pushing me to make it. This year we have had a large crop of Florida winter strawberries and they are everywhere from the farmers market to the grocery store at good prices. Combined with a recent sale on blueberries it was fate. This version has a little citrus flavor in it and is not very sweet, my favorite. Using my Grandmother’s crust makes my mixed berry pie wonderful trip down memory lane for me too. Her crust has that that flaky texture that you can only get from homemade. I have to admit I ate the leftover pie for breakfast, hey there is fruit in the pie so it can’t be that bad for me.
Mixed Berry Pie
Ingredients
- ½ batch of Grandma Swan’s pie crust or store bought crust
- 4 cups of strawberries hulled and sliced
- 1 tbs orange liquor like Grand Marnier or Triple Sec
- 1 cup sugar plus some for dusting crust
- 2-3 cups other berries black, blue or raspberry
- Zest of one lemon
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 egg white or melted butter
Instructions
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Mix the cleaned and hulled strawberries with half a cup of the sugar and the tablespoon of orange liquor. Let the berries macerate for about one hour at room temperature. Stir a few times.
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Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
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Put the other berries in a bowl then using a slotted spoon scoop the strawberries out of the bowl they are sitting in leaving behind the liquid that has been released from the strawberries. Add half a cup of sugar, corn starch, lemon zest and the vanilla to the berries and stir carefully.
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Next roll out the dough for the bottom crust and place it in the pie pan. Add the berries to the bottom. I arrange the strawberries on the top so they are facing up and will look pretty under the crust.
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Roll the top crust out and get it ready to place on top of the pie. I like a lattice crust, its a little more work but using a straight edge, like a plastic cutting board, it’s not very difficult to make. Trust me I am far from a pastry chef and if I can handle it you can too. See the image enlarged here .
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After you have cut the strips carefully weave them over and under each other to make the lattice. Then use a fork to crimp the edges. Paint the top of the crust with egg white or butter and sprinkle some sugar over the egg wash.
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Bake at 400 for about one hour or until the berry filling is bubbling. You may need to cover the edges of the crust with foil to keep it from burning, so keep an eye on your pie as it bakes.
