All kinds of berries are appearing in the market and this mixed berry pie is a great way to take advantage of all the delicious fruits summer has to offer. Serve this pie by itself or with some lightly whipped cream for a wonderful summer dessert!
The Recipe
by volume by weight
pie dough for 2 crusts
2 cups blackberries 290 grams blackberries
3 cups raspberries 375 grams raspberries
2 cups blueberries 200 grams blueberries
1/3 cup cornstarch 216 grams cornstarch
1/2 cup sugar 99 grams sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar 50 grams brown sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice 28 grams lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg 1 gram nutmeg
Directions
Heat the oven to 425F. Line an 8″ pie pan with half of the pie dough. A great way to make sure you have enough berries is to measure them out in the pie pan you intend to bake them in. If you need a few more, just add them in. It’s not necessary to adjust the other ingredients unless you make a larger pie.
Gently toss all of the ingredients together in a bowl to evenly distribute the cornstarch and sugar.
Fill the lined pie pan with the berries.
Top with the second half of the pie dough.
Flute the edge of the pie crust as desired.
I like to brush the top of a pie with a bit of melted butter but it is not necessary. Also cut a vent in the top of the pie. It can be decorative but a simple slit will do.
Bake the pie for 15 minutes ( do this on a cookie sheet to catch any overflowing juice) and then reduce the heat to 375F. Continue to bake until the top is golden brown and the juices bubble up through the vent in the top. It is very important that you wait until the juices are boiling. This pie is thickened with cornstarch and cornstarch must be brought to a boil in order to thicken any liquid. If you don’t wait for this to happen, the pie will be watery and have a pasty feeling in your mouth. I know it ruins the look of the top of the pie but the taste will be worth it! Let the pie cool to room temperature before slicing.
Alternatives
This recipe produces a pie with a very berry flavor that is not too sweet. If you like your pie sweeter or you are using berries that are less than completely ripe, feel free to add more sugar. I like the flavor that using a bit of brown sugar gives but you can certainly use all white sugar if you like.
If you don’t have access to fresh berries or they are prohibitively expensive, frozen berries will work nicely as well. You can use any mixture of berries you like or a single berry variety. Steer away from strawberries for a baked pie filling. They are very watery and are better suited to unbaked pie fillings.
I brush the tops of pies with melted butter and you could also sprinkle a little coarse sugar on the top for a bit of crunch. If you like a shiny, deep golden pie crust, brush with egg wash before baking.
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