BLUEBERRY BLACKBERRY PIEfeatured

It’s no secret. I Love Pie. Period.

But growing up I was never that pumped on blueberry pie. I don’t know. It never seemed as exciting as the other choices. So I never picked it. And it always seemed to be the last pie available on the menu after all the others were gone.

I moved to LA in my late 20s and started dating a ton. Awesome initially, but as time went on nothing was working out. I mean NOTHING. It just wasn’t working. A couple months into my shame spiral, I was instant messaging a good friend while we were at work (employee of the year right here folks…) going on and on about the woes of my dating life and it dawned on me. I AM BLUEBERRY PIE. Expletive. I am the last thing on the menu. Shame. Spiral. Pity party table of one. Luckily, the party didn’t last too long , but here’s the thing. I’ve had blueberry pie since then, and guess what? I was wrong. When it’s done right, it’s GOOD. Crazy good in fact. Way too good to be last picked off the menu. So yeah. Turns out I’m cool with being blueberry pie any day.

Recipe: Blueberry Blackberry Pie  |  Soundtrack:  The Jackson 5

•  CRUST
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 cup unsalted chilled butter
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• FILLING
• 1 small granny smith apple
• 3 cups blueberries
• 3 cups blackberries
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
• zest of 1 lemon
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Egg wash (1 egg whisked with 2 tsp water and a pinch of salt)
• Demerara sugar or any finishing sugar

Directions:
Tip: If you are new to making pies, I would 1 1/2 the pie crust recipe so you have more dough to work with. It takes some practice to get your crust precise and a little extra dough helps when you are learning.

To make the crust: Mix the flour, cornstarch, sugar and salt together in a large bowl. Add the cold (this is very important) butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a spatula. You can do the next step one of two ways. First option: using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mainly pea size pieces of butter remain. Be careful not to over blend. Second option: Dump your flour and butter mixture onto a large cutting board and using two bench scrappers, cut in the butter until pea size pieces remain.

Combine the milk, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or a small bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp at a time over the flour mixture and mix it with a fork until it comes together in a ball with some dry bits remaining. The dough should not feel wet or overly sticky. Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together. ** You might not use all of the milk mixture. Don’t be alarmed. Stop adding the milk once you are able to hold the dough together in a ball. Shape the dough into a 2 flat discs, wrap each in plastic and refrigerate for at least an hour or overnight.

To make the filling: Peel and shred the apple using a standard box grater. Grate it along the large hole side. In a large mixing bowl combine shredded apple, blueberries, blackberries, lemon juice, lemon zest, both sugars, cornstarch, vanilla, cinnamon and salt. Stir until well mixed.

To assemble the pie: Remove the one of the pie discs from the refrigerator. Roll out and place in pie tin. The pie crust should hang out over the sides of the tin. Make sure the crust is pressed against the sides. Pour the filling into the pie tin. Remove the second disc from the refrigerator. Roll into a circle. You can make a pretty lattice top or a classic top crust. If you go with a classic pie crust top, cut a few slits in the top to allow steam to get out.

Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. Prepare the oven by removing the center rack and placing a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom oven rack. Preheat the oven to 425º.  Once the oven is heated and the pie has chilled, remove the pie from the refrigerator and brush with the egg wash. Sprinkle with the Demerara sugar generously.

Place the pie on the rimmed baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes or until it starts to brown. Lower the oven temp to 375º, move the pie and the oven rack to the center position and continue to bake until the pie is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 30-35 minutes longer.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Approx 2-3 hours. Serve warm or at room temperature with ice cream.

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