So I thought I would kick off my blog with a pie- not just any pie a BlueberryStrawberryRaspberryBlackberry Pie or for short The Quad Berry Pie. We love pie at my house and this one turned out wonderfully, the crust was flaky and buttery and the berries…oh the berries how we love thee.
Flaky pie Crust
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2 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
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1 teaspoon salt
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2 teaspoons sugar
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1 cup nonhydrogenated margarine-cut into about 16 Tablespoon size pieces
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about 6 Tablespoons of ice water, plus more if necessary
Combine the flour, salt and sugar in a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the “butter” (a few pieces at a time) and turn the processor on; process until the butter and flour are blended and the mixture looks like cornmeal, about 10 seconds. Don’t over process!! Your dough will turn out too sticky.
Place the mixture in a mixing bowl and sprinkle with ice water. Gradually gather the mixture into a ball (I use a wooden spoon first until the dough is forming and then I use my hands); if it seems too dry add more water 1/2 Tablespoon at a time until you can make the mixture into a ball with your hands. Separate dough into 2 equal size balls, wrap each dough ball in plastic wrap, flatten into a small disk and refrigerate for about 30 minutes- this is to make it easier to roll. You can also put it in the freezer for about 10 minutes if you are in a hurry or leave it in the freezer to have on hand for another day.
Sprinkle your countertop or large rolling board with flour, I also ike to rub some flour on my rolling pin before I get started. Unwrap one dough ball and place it on your work surface, sprinkle the top with a little more flour. (leave the second ball of dough in refigerator until ready to roll) If the dough feels too hard to roll let it sit for a few minutes until it will give a little when you poke your finger in the top. Roll from the center out using light pressure, as you roll add small amounts of flour as needed to keep dough from sticking to your rolling pin. If the dough becomes too sticky during rolling place in the refrigerator for about 10 more minutes to cool. When you have rolled your dough about a 1/4 inch thick and into a 10 inch circle (it doesn’t have to be perfect so don’t fuss with it too much, just make it as round as you can) check the size by placing your pie plate upside down over dough, it sould be 1/2-1 inch bigger than your pie plate depending on how deep your pie plate is.
Now you have to get the dough into the pie plate. So here goes. I like to take my rolling pin and drape one side of the dough over it, then gently lift the dough (being as careful as I can not to let it stick to the work surface) and place it in the plate -which I have sitting as close to my wrok surface as possible so transport is quick and less chance I will trip over the dog and drop the dough, who knows it could happen! Now that you have the dough in the plate press into the bottom and sides and then trim the excess dough to about 1/2 inch all around. Place in refrigerator to keep cool until ready to fill. Grab the other ball of dough and roll this one out for the top. I personally roll it out on a piece of wax paper with some flour so that when I am done rolling I can just pick up the wax paper and place it in the refrigerator to chill while I prepare the filling. This also makes it easy to know when you’ve rolled it out to the appropriate size by holding it over the top of your pie plate to measure. Now lets talk berries!
Quad Berry Filling
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4-5 Cups berries ( I used one generous cup of each kind of berry) **See note below about frozen berries and strawberries
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3/4-1 cup sugar
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2 Tablespoons cornstarch
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1 Tablespoon lemon juice
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1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
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a pinch of cinnamon
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a pinch of salt
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1 Tablespoon nonhydrogenated margarine cut into bits
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a little soy milk and sugar for the top crust
In a large mixing bowl gently toss the berries with the sugar, spices and cornstarch. Stir in the lemon juice and optional zest and pile the mixture into your prepared pie plate making the pile a little higher in the center than the sides. Dot with the margarine bits and cover with the top crust. This should be easy if you have it on wax paper, just place dough side down on top of berries and gently pull off the wax paper. Press the edges together with a fork or use your fingers for a decorative wavy edge. Place pie into refrigerator while your oven preheats to 450.
When your oven is ready place the pie on a cookie sheet (to catch any drips) and brush the top with soy milk and sprinkle with a little sugar- this makes it look really nice when done. Use a sharp paring knife to cut 2 or 3 2 inch slits in the top for venting. place pie in the oven and cook for about 10 minutes at 450 then reduce heat to 350 and bake another 40 to 50 minutes or until it’s beautifully golden brown on top. Let pie cool a little while before serving.
** Frozen fruit becomes watery as it melts so you will need to make up for that by using more sugar and cornstarch, about 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 Tablespoon cornstarch should do it. Don’t thaw frozen berries before using. When using strawberries (fresh or frozen) cut into smaller pieces, close to the size of the other berries
Well I hope you enjoy this pie as much as we do. Get crazy and use any combo of berries you like or make the whole pie one kind of berry whatever your sweet vegan heart desires. Enjoy!!
