Summer Berry Pie

Submitted by icetea

"Beautiful pie, you'll love it!! If blackberries are not available, use 3 cups each of raspberries and blueberries. When pureeing the berries, be sure to process them for a full minute; otherwise, the yield on the puree may be too small. Apple jelly can be substituted if red currant jelly is unavailable. If you have a salad spinner, line the basket with paper towels, add the berries, and spin until dry."

 

• Ready In: 1hr
• Ingredients: 14
• Yields: 1 pie
• Serves: 8

ingredients

• Graham Cracker Crust

• 9 graham crackers, broken into rough pieces
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and warm

• Berry Filling

• 2 cups raspberries (about 9 ounces)
• 2 cups blackberries (about 11 ounces)
• 2 cups blueberries (about 10 ounces)
• 1⁄2 cup granulated sugar (3 ½ ounces)
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1⁄8 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice (from 1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons red currant jelly

• Whipped Cream

• 1 cup cold heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

directions

1. For the crust: Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees.
2. In a food processor, process the graham crackers until evenly fine, about 30 seconds (you should have 1 cup crumbs).
3. Add the sugar and pulse to combine.
4. Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter in a steady stream; pulse until the mixture resembles wet sand.
5. Transfer the crumbs to a 9-inch glass pie plate.
6. Using a ½-cup dry measuring cup, press the crumb mixture into the plate.
7. Use your thumb to square off the top of the crust.
8. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes; transfer to a wire rack and cool completely while making the filling.
9. For the filling: Combine the berries in a large colander and gently rinse (taking care not to bruise them); spread the berries on a rimmed baking sheet lined with paper towels and gently pat dry with additional paper towels.
10. In a food processor, puree 2 ½ cups mixed berries until smooth and fully pureed, about 1 minute.
11. Strain the puree through a mesh strainer into a small nonreactive saucepan, scraping and pressing on the seeds to extract as much puree as possible (you should have 1 ¼ to 1 ½ cups).
12. Whisk the sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a small bowl to combine, then whisk the mixture into the puree.
13. Bring the puree to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon; when the mixture reaches a boil and is thickened to the consistency of pudding, remove from the heat, stir in the lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.
14. While the puree is cooling, place the remaining berries in a medium bowl.
15. Heat the jelly in a second small saucepan over low heat until fully melted.
16. Drizzle the melted jelly over the berries and toss gently with a rubber spatula to coat.
17. Pour the slightly cooled puree into the cooled pie shell and smooth the top with a spatula.
18. Distribute the glazed berries evenly over the puree and gently press them into the puree.
19. Loosely cover the pie with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled and the puree has set, about 3 hours or up to 1 day.
20. For the whipped cream: Just before serving, beat the cream, sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer on low speed until small bubbles form, about 30 seconds.
21. Increase the speed to medium; continue beating until the beaters leave a trail, about 30 seconds longer.
22. Increase the speed to high; continue beating until the cream is smooth, thick, nearly doubled in volume, and forms soft peaks, about 30 to 60 seconds.
23. Cut the pie into wedges and serve with whipped cream.

Reviews

[ceg8908]

This is the perfect summer pie. It requires very little cooking, so doesn't heat up the kitchen too much. The berries are refreshing and look beautiful with the glaze. The filling holds up well, so when sliced the puree mixture stays together with the glazed berries on top. I am very glad that I chose to make the graham cracker crust (rather than buy it), as a pre-made one would not be worthy of this amazing filling!

 

[Linorama]

I saw this on an episode of America's Test Kitchen this summer and had to try it immediately. It's without a doubt the BEST berry pie I've ever had. No gelatin, just lots of fresh, yummy fruit. I served it at a dinner party and it got rave reviews. Easy to make and simply delicious. I had planned to submit this recipe too, and now I don't have to! :-)