Triple Berry Pie

It's been a long time since my last post, but I will not take credit for my absence. Blame college. Dorm rooms are not the most equipped places to bake. I did have a microwave, however, and I was tempted to blog about the oatmeal I ate almost every night. My philosophy though is that quality is better than quantity, so I decided it would be better for me to keep the many peanut butter, banana, and honey sandwiches I owe my survival to this summer to myself and save the good stuff for you guys. I thought I would take a quick break from Apron Afternoons while away at Auburn for a few weeks this summer, and prepare myself for the massive amount of baking I plan to do this July. I went to Auburn to train for the Olympic Trials, which took place last week, but instead of returning to school after trials, I decided that I needed to take a break for a month and bake. I needed to. And so it begins, the best month of my life, my baked-goods-deprived brothers' life, and Apron Afternoon's life. 

I have a confession. Many of my hours spent in class this summer were actually spent scouring the internet for recipes. Don't worry, I made A's in my class, so it's almost okay that instead of listening to my professors ramble on about who knows what, I was reading about the difference between alkalized unsweetened cocoa and dutch-processed cocoa. That's kinda school, right? As long as I learned something, I feel like it was school. All of these recipes I found while in class began to pile up. I was becoming anxious. I needed to bake something. I found myself counting down the days until I would be able to make a custard or pie again. Fortunately, this summer passed quickly with a little help from Elizabeth's kitchen and some 60 brown butter chocolate chip cookies I made there one afternoon. I'm not quite sure how that happened. All I know is that my baking depravation reached an all time high and I needed to release some cookies I had built up in my system.

I'm home now though and just in time too. For the fourth yesterday, I decided that the only way I could really celebrate America was to make a pie. What's more American? (Besides Uncle Sam, hot dogs, blue jeans, cowboys, NASCAR, and route 66.) I used three berries: blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. The pie crust was perfectly crispy and buttery and the filling had a tartness that is unmatched by any othe pie out there. I used two thickeners (cornstarch and instant tapioca) to help congeal the filling. I was worried about the pie being runny because I opted for frozen raspberries and blackberries, which are much cheaper than fresh but are juicier than fresh, but the pie did not turn out runny at all. I also prefer to use a homemade pie crust rather than store-bought, but I am still struggling with how to properly roll out a homemade pie crust. I'll get it one day, but meanwhile I suggest you make this pie, even though the fourth has passed. I hope it makes you feel as proud to be an American as it made me feel. 

Triple Berry Pie
Recipe adapted from Epicurious

Ingredients for Pie Dough:
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 sticks (3/4 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch   cubes
- 1/4 cup cold vegetable shortening
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 4 to 6 tablespoons ice water

Ingredients for Pie Filling:
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries (3/4 to 1 pound)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries (1/2 to 3/4 pound)
- 2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries (1/2 to 3/4 pound)


Directions for Pie Dough:

1. Blend together flour, butter, shortening, and salt in a bowl with your fingertips or a pastry blender (or pulse in a food processor)  until most of mixture resembles coarse meal with some small (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. 

2. Drizzle evenly with 4 tablespoons ice water and gently stir with a fork (or pulse in food processor) until incorporated.

3. Squeeze a small handful: If it doesn't hold together, add more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring (or pulsing) until incorporated, then test again. (Do not overwork mixture, or pastry will be tough.)

4. Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and divide into 8 portions. With heel of your hand, smear each portion once or twice in a forward motion to help distribute fat. 

5. Press dough into 2 balls, then flatten each into a 5-inch disk.

6. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.

Directions for Pie:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.

2. Whisk together granulated sugar, cornstarch, tapioca, and salt, then toss with berries.

3. Roll out 1 piece of dough (keep remaining piece chilled) on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch round and fit into pie plate. Trim edge, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Chill shell while rolling out dough for top crust.

Roll out remaining piece of dough on lightly floured surface with floured rolling pin and using a star shaped cookie cutter, cut 15-20 stars.

4. Spoon filling into shell, then cover pie with pastry stars 

5. Brush top of pie with egg and sprinkle all over with sanding sugar. 

6. Bake pie in middle of oven 15 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 375°F and continue to bake until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbling, about 40 minutes more.

7. Cool pie on a rack at least 3 hours before serving to allow juices to thicken slightly (filling will still be juicy).