Fruits of the forest berry pie

Mixed berries

The fourth pie we made for #pieday was a berry pie, and Ruthie even got fancy with a lattice top (I think she wanted to win the “contest”). She was on Team Crisco and used all Crisco, even though the crust recipe she used called for part Crisco (1/4 cup) and part butter (2 Tablespoons). 

She was also a little “loosey goosey” with the filling part of the recipe, so the recipe below is our best guess at what actually happened. We baked this pie and the apple together, so this baked at 400 degrees (instead of 425) initially. 

Ready for the oven

Fruits of the forest berry pie
Serves: 8
Source: Lee Bailey’s Country Desserts (also via Epicurious)

Ingredients
For the sweet crust:
1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons sugar
5 Tablespoons ice water
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons Crisco, chilled and cut into bits
1 egg, beaten

Bakin’ pies

For the filling:
Approximately 1 1/2 quarts mixed berries (strawberries, blueberries, blackberries)
1 cup sugar, more to taste
3 Tablespoons cornstarch
Squeeze of lemon juice

Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

2. For the crust: sift together the flour, salt, and sugar. Remove 1/3 cup of this and mix with the ice water to make a paste. Set aside.

3. Place the remaining flour mixture in a food processor and add shortening. Process until coarse. Scrape in the paste and process until this mixture forms a ball. Place ball between 2 sheets of waxed paper and flatten slightly. Refrigerate for about 30 minutes.

4. Roll out the dough on a lightly floured surface into a 14-inch circle. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the dough, allowing excess to hang over the sides. Trim, leaving about 1/2-inch all around. Fold edges under and crimp. Cut a few slits in the crust and bake 5-7 minutes or until golden.

5. For the filling: mix together ingredients and pour into pie shell. 

6. Lay second pie crust over berries; press along rim to seal. Using kitchen shears, trim overhang to 1 inch. With floured fingers, fold overhang under itself to form a thick rim and crimp edges. Or see how to make a lattice crust here. 

7. Brush top of crust with egg wash; place pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes; reduce heat to 375 degrees F and bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 20-25 minutes more.