blackberry pie

Blackberry picking is a violent activity.

And I never do any activity half way, which I is why I pushed myself into the brambles to get the elusive, juicy plumb berries just out of my reach.

let's just say my arms and legs look like I got in a fight with a mean kitten.

But it was worth it for this:

Pie-making is a bit of lost art, or rather pie crust making is a lost art. So I encourage you to bring this skill back and I have just the recipe for you to try.

the best Pie Crust ever

ingredients:
2 cups flour
2/3 cup shortening
1 tsp salt
5-8 tbs cold water

Mix two cups of flour with salt and add the shortening, mixing it with a pastry blender until the consistency is coarse and crumbly.

 

 add the tablespoons of cold water one at a time, stirring with a fork until the dough begins to clump and clear the sides of the bowl, like so:

form the dough into two equal-sized lumps, cover with saran wrap and refridgerate for at least an hour and a half

Get the dough out of the fridge and roll each out to 1/4 inch thickness. Use lots of flour on the counter and rolling pin and roll out slowly. Tip: If you work the dough too much-- ie rerolling it-- it will begin to get harder to work with.

Place one in the bottom of the pie tin. Place the contents in the center of the pie and layer the second piece of dough over.

Trim the excess dough edges with baking scizzors. Then go around the pie and pinch the edges together, alternating as pictured below:

 Cut a slit in the top of the pie and pop it in the oven!

Blackberry filling: 

ingredients:
4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
1/4 cup sugar

Mix the blackberries, 1/2 cup sugar, and 1/2 cup flour in a large bowl. Mix until you can't see the white of the flour and sugar anymore.

Beat one egg and brush half of it on the bottom of the pie crust. This keeps the pie bottom from getting soggy.

Pour blackberry mixture in, top with pie dough.

Brush remaining egg on the top of the pie and sprinkle with sugar.

Cook for 15 minutes at 400, and 20-25 more minutes at 375. (Mine cooked in 20 minutes)

enjoy with ice cream! nom.