This pie could also be called “I have a lot of frozen berries in the freezer that I really should use up” Pie. I always pick a lot of PYO berries in the summer — strawberries, high-bush blueberries, raspberries and this year, red currants (my favorite). Summer time is then full of pie, but some do end up in the freezer. So when I got this new pie plate (Eat More Pie! Words to live by), I thought I would use up some of the berries. Ended up using some jarred cherries as well. Summertime on the last official day of winter!
Ingredients
for the pastry
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/3 cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, diced
6 tablespoons (or more) ice water
for the filling*
1 cup pitted tart cherries, fresh, jarred or frozen
1/2 cup blackberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup strawberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup red currents, fresh or frozen
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup sugar
1 egg yolk mixed with a tablespoon or two of milk
Directions
Blend flour, sugar and salt in processor. Add butter and shortening and cut in using on/off turns until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add 6 tablespoons ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather into ball, divide, then flatten into two disks. Wrap in plastic; chill 2 hours.
Preheat oven to 375F. Spray a 9 inch pie plate with baking spray.
Place berries and cherries in a medium work bowl. Sprinkle in corn starch and sugar and stir to combine. Set aside.
Roll out one of the dough disks to a 12 inch circle. Place in pie plate and crimp edges. Dock the pastry with a fork a few times, all the way to the edges. Spoon cherry-berry mixture onto the pie plate. Roll out the other dough disk to a long sheet and cut bands. Create a lattice top over the pie and anchor to the crust. Lightly brush pastry with the beaten egg wash. Place on a baking sheet (in case it boils over) and place on the center rack in the oven.
Bake until filling is bubbling and pastry is golden, 55 minutes to an hour. If the top gets too brown before the hour, cover with aluminum foil. Cool slightly on baking sheet on a rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.
* In total, you will need 4 cups of the berries and cherries. I used some of 6 types of berries, plus the cherries, but if you only want to just use a few types of berries, adjust the ratios as needed to come up with a total of 4 cups.
