Berries are fragile, which is why we love them so much off the bush or in a bowl. But there are a couple of things to keep in mind once you decide to cook them, like in a pie. First. Often they are less sweet than you imagine, even when they are perfectly ripe. Don’t confuse the full berry flavor with sweetness. Second. Blueberries tend to need some acid to brighten the flavor and even blackberries can use some for balance.
Third. I believe in adding some starch to thicken fruit pies. I don’t want berry juice to run all over the plate. I want to get it into my mouth. That is the role of starch as a thickener. When I comes to berries I like the visual clarity I get from cornstarch or instant clear gel (another kind of modified starch). However I also love the pastry like flavor that wheat flour lends to fillings. So I do a combo.
Some folks drain off the juices that collect once the berries are sweetened and cook that juice with a bit of thickener, then add it back to the berries then continue on with the pie. I don’t. I like the simpler approach of putting the filling raw into the pie and letting both crust and filling cook together. There might be a tiny bit more of a fiddly learning curve to get the filling just right for you, but I think the end result is better.
If you want to read more about my emotional pie connection take a look a my Pie Page on this site. You can also find out about my Pie-a-Day App and my in-depth on line Craftsy.com class for making the best crust and putting the whole pie together. The Craftsy.com class is on sale now. Here’s a link for you.
| Prep Time | 20 minutes |
| Passive Time | 45 - 60 min |
| Servings | 8 |
- 4 pints fresh berries blackberries, raspberries, blueberries or a combo
- Sugar to taste
- Squeeze of Lemon Juice to taste
- 2 tbsp AP flour
- 2 tbsp cornstarch OR
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch mixed with
- 1 1/2 tbsp instant clear gel
Ingredients
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- When preparing berries for a pie spread out a length of parchment paper or paper toweling and turn out the berries from each basket. Pick out and discard any moldy bits or stem ends that might still be clinging to a berry or two.
- I don’t wash raspberries or blackberries. They are too fragile to hold up in the water and they are already filled with juice. I don’t want to dilute the flavor or add more liquid to the mix.
- After picking through them gently move them to a bowl.
- Taste one or two berries for sweetness. Add sugar a tablespoon at a time, tasting after each addition. Once the berries are sweet enough taste one again and decide if you need some acid. If so, add a small squeeze of lemon juice.
- Mix the thickening starches you're using together and sprinkle them on top of the berries. Mix very gently.
- Your berries are now ready to be poured into the dough lined pie pan.
I’ve read that lime juice is a better complement to blueberries than lemon. Something about the lime bringing out the blueberry-ness of blueberries. Any experience with that? I find lemon to be a little harsh, though I know its a common combination.
Lime works but I wouldn’t say it’s better. Think of all those lemon blueberry muffins out there. Actually I love the brightness of lime when I make a raw blueberry pie so although I’ve never used it in a cooked pie it must be good. Try it and let me know how it is.