This recipe is based on the blueberry pie in “Tartine-A Classic Revisited”. I needed to add a bit more sugar for my taste, more thickener, and my crust is a little different. You can use all blueberries, or a combination of berries. Bake this in the morning to serve for dinner as pies need time to cool for the filling to set.

Serves 6-8

1 recipe Perfect Dough for Pies, chilled
2 1⁄2 lbs berries (blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries)
1⁄4 t vanilla
1⁄2 lemon, juiced and zested
1 c sugar
6 T cornstarch
1 T flour
1⁄8 t kosher salt
1 egg beaten with
1 T water (egg wash)
Demerara or sparkling sugar (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.

Roll out the chilled dough into two 12” circles. Place one circle in the bottom of a 9” pie plate, trying not to stretch the dough as you fit it into the bottom and up the sides, pressing gently. There will be an overhang of about 1”. Place in the refrigerator to chill. Cut 3-4 slits in the top crust, or use a cookie cutter to cut out decorative shapes if you prefer, to vent. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, flour and salt in a small bowl. Place about 1⁄3 of the berries in a large bowl and use your hands to crush them until they burst, releasing their juices. Add in the remaining berries, vanilla, lemon juice and zest. Fold gently to combine. Add in the sugar/cornstarch mixture to the berries and fold to thoroughly coat berries with the thickener.

Remove the pie plate from the refrigerator and fill with the berry mixture. Brush the edges of the bottom crust with water. Place the top crust over the bottom crust and press down on the edges all the way around to seal, then crimp or use the tines of a fork to make a decorative edge. Place the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes. Make the egg wash while the pie is chilling.

Remove pie from the freezer and transfer to the sheet pan. Brush the top with egg wash and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees, place pie on the lowest oven rack, and bake for 45 minutes. Move pie to the middle rack and rotate for even browning. Bake another 45 minutes or so, until deep golden brown with visible bubbling filling. If not yet ready, add 15 minutes and check again. When done, remove from the oven to a wire rack to cool for 4-6 hours for best results before serving. Pie can be loosely wrapped and stored at room temperature or refrigerated for 3 days.

Perfect Dough for Pies

Makes two 9-inch pie crusts

Make this dough ahead of time, wrap in plastic and refrigerate up to 2 days, or freeze for 2 months. I always make a double recipe and freeze one.

3 c (450g) unbleached all-purpose flour
2 T sugar (optional)
1 t kosher salt
2 sticks + 5 T (300g) unsalted butter, cut into small cubes (or try 2 sticks butter with 5 T leaf lard)
About 2⁄3 c (150g) ice water, or half vodka/half water

Place flour, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Using a pastry blender or two knives, cut the butter into the flour. You can also use a food processor, but be careful not to over process.

Sprinkle ice water, a little at a time, over the mixture, stirring to work in the water. You want to dough to hold together, but not be too wet. Transfer to a floured work surface and gather the dough together to form a ball. You’ll need a bit more dough for the bottom crust, so I estimate 2⁄3 for bottom crust, and about 1⁄3 for the top crust. Flatten into two disks, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before using.

Notes on Lard

The pros: Lard produces an extremely crisp, flaky crust. It's also easy to work with, as its melting point is higher than butter, so it doesn't soften as quickly while you handle it, or threaten to dissolve into the flour as quickly as butter before baking.

The cons: Good quality rendered leaf lard is hard to find. Much of the lard widely available in grocery stores has been hydrogenated and filled with preservatives, with a strong piggy flavor, which makes baking with it considerably less desirable than an all-butter crust.

Mixed Berry Pie