Mixed Berry Country Pie

Ready to wow your friends and family this summer with a delicious pie? We challenged ourselves to take the classic Fourth of July dessert up a notch by adding hints of ginger, maple syrup, and fresh lemon juice alongside some strawberries and blueberries, of course! Best of luck practicing your patience as you wait for it to cool before enjoying it!

Ingredients

Pie Crust:
8 oz cold butter, cubed or shredded
2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour
1 tbs sugar
1 pinch of salt
6-8 tbs ice water 

Pie Filling:
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tbs finely grated lemon zest
1 lemon (freshly squeezed)
5 tbs cornstarch
1 thumb of fresh ginger, finely grated
2 pints of blueberries
2 pints of strawberries, halved
1 pinch of salt

Finish:
1 egg for egg wash
2 tsp turbinado sugar (coarse sugar)
¼ tsp flakey sea salt (not table salt)

Directions

Step 1: Pie Crust
Add all of your dry ingredients to a large mixing bowl. Add in butter and mix until small clumps form, about the size of walnut halves. Make a well in the center, pour in ¾ of the ice water, and toss in the flour. Once it begins to form, fold it over itself a few times until the dough becomes one solid, smooth form. Add in the remaining water, 1 tbs at a time. The dough should hold together and not form any cracks, as that is a sign that the dough is dehydrated. As well, make sure that your dough isn’t overly hydrated, creating a sticky and tacky texture. 

Form the dough into 2 disks about 1 inch thick, tightly cover with plastic wrap or a reusable beeswax wrap, and store in your refrigerator for 1 hour to 2 days. 

Step 2: Filling
In a large bowl, use a wooden spoon to mix the maple syrup and lemon zest. Once it becomes fragrant, add in the cornstarch and fresh ginger. Once you’ve created a thick coating, pour in the blueberries and either halved or quartered strawberries. Before mixing, slowly pour the lemon juice over the mixed berries, and let it sit while you pull your dough out of the fridge, and begin to roll it out. 

Lightly flour your work surface, along with your rolling pin, and roll out one disk to be about 12 inches wide and about ¼ of an inch thick. Place the dough in your 9-inch pie dish, and leave about 1 inch of dough to hang over the edge. Trim excess and place in the fridge while you roll and cut the top crust.

Follow the same steps for the top crust. Once your dough is rolled out to about 12 inches wide, use a knife to cut 1-inch strips. 

Return to your fruit filling, and gently stir until it is well mixed. Pull your pie pan out of the fridge, and pour the fruit filling into the pan, pressing down occasionally to pack down the berries. Take your pie crust strips, and weave a lattice over the top. Here is an excellent tutorial on how to weave a lattice. Trim off the excess dough, fold the extra dough from the bottom crust over the lattice straps, and crimp the edges together. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, and set a rack on the bottom shelf. While the oven is preheating, slide the whole pie into the freezer to chill (about 15 minutes). 

When the oven is ready, place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips or spillage. Beat 1 egg, brush it on top of the pie, and sprinkle with turbinado sugar and flaky sea salt.

Bake until golden brown, about 45-55 minutes. If your pie begins to burn prematurely, tent it with aluminum foil. Let it cool, and top it off with some homemade whipped cream or your favorite ice cream!