A Berry Delicious Pie

I forgot how much I love pie. The only time I eat and sometimes even make it is at which happens to be my all time favorite holiday. I also forgot how much I love making pies. Most people probably buy the pre made frozen pie crust but don't realize how much better a homemade one is. Yes, it can be a bit of a pain in the ass and is an extra step but how impressive is it to be able to present a perfectly crimped pie crust that tastes even better than it looks.
Thanksgiving...

I got my pie baking skills...sorry in advance mom...from cooking class in high school. My teacher was a bit of a Martha Stewart meets Hitler.  We had to do over our crusts til we got it right. Luckily it didn't take me too long and I became pretty good at it...until I met my husband. He's a bit of a perfectionist and he would definitely beat out my pie primping skills, after a few tedious hours of getting it just right. :)

So I had all these berries...some were fresh, some were frozen. I was supposed to make jelly but just never got around to it, plus my Noni keeps giving me hers so why make my own!  I've been thinking about pie since the summer. Everyday I would pass a Sixpence Pie Company and never got the chance to go in. Got some good berries from the grocery store on sale, so those mixed with the ones I froze a few weeks earlier will be my quadruple berry pie...strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. I just love berries, especially since I'm allergic to mostly every other fruit that has skin.

This is a super easy recipe so taking the extra step to make the pie crust is definitely doable. And it only takes 4 ingredients and a little bit of elbow grease.

Four Berry Pie

Makes one 9 inch lattice top pie

Pie crust:

• 2 1/3 cups all purpose unbleached flour

• 1 1/2 sticks of butter, salted

• 2 tsp sugar

• 8-10 teaspoons ice water 

Combine your flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut up your sticks of butter into smaller chunks. They should be almost right out of the fridge, not softened!


Using a pastry cutter, "cut" your butter into the flour until it is broken down into pea sized bits. The mixture should be crumbly. If you don't have a pastry cutter, you can also use a fork or even your food processor. I like to get my hands directly in the dough so I can feel how big the chunks of butter are...not too big, not too small. This is the most important part in making a light and flaky pie crust!

When you have your desired consistency, slowly add a few teaspoons of water at a time and incorporate into your flour. As soon as the dough begins to stick together, dump it out on a large wooden board and form your balls!

I separated mine into two, one larger for the crust and one smaller for the lattice top. Secure in saran wrap and refrigerate for about 20 minutes while you prep the filling.


Filling:

• 5 cups berries...I think I used about 2 cups of strawberries, 1 1/2 cups blueberries and maybe 3/4 cup each of raspberries and blackberries. I'm terrible with measuring but amazing when it comes to "eyeing it."
• 1/2 cup flour... I altered this from the original recipe in my trusty ole Betty Crocker cookbook since I used more strawberries. They have a bit more moisture so I increased the flour.
• 3/4 cup sugar
• Sprinkle of cinnamon
• Juice of half a lemon

Now throw all your ingredients in a bowl and combine. That's it!  Back to the pie dough...

Assembly:

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

When you're ready to put your pie together, place your dough on a lightly floured wooden board. Flour up your rolling pin. Roll out your dough, constantly rotating it to get a nice size circle. Your dough should be about 1/4 inch thick. Use your pie dish to help figure out if the circle is big enough.

 To transfer your dough to the pie dish, roll it up half way around your rolling pin. Carefully hover over your dish and unroll it. Although I love ceramic dishes since they're so pretty, I use a glass one because you can see through the bottom and check how done your pie is.

Gently push the edges into the bottom of the pie dish. Trim off excess leaving about 1/2 inch hanging over the edge of the dish. Save the scraps for later!

Fold and tuck it underneath to give it smooth edge. Then crimp away! One thumb should be on the inside part of the crust and your opposing thumb and pointer finger should be on the outside.  Gently push them towards each other making an indent in the dough, all the way around the pie. I tend to do it at a little bit of angle.

Use a fork to poke some holes in the bottom of your crust. This will allow any steam to escape and result in a cooked bottom instead of a soggy one.

Dump your filling in the crust and spread around evenly.

Roll out your second pie crust for the lattice top. I have a neat little cutter I use to make a nice edge but a pizza cutter works too! I cut mine about 1 inch thick.

Lay about 4 or 5 of them across the top of your pie. You want to weave the other ones in the opposite direction, alternating over/under.

Trim off the excess and fold and tuck the edges into the crust the best you can.

To get a nice golden top, you can brush it with milk or an egg wash. Sprinkle a little bit of cinnamon and sugar on top if you'd like and pop it in the oven with a pan underneath to catch drippings.

I leave the crust uncovered for the first twenty minutes, then wrap it in foil so it doesn't burn. I peak on it constantly and remove the foil towards the end of baking. I also bumped up the temp to 400 degrees after about 40 minutes. Baking times will vary but that's why it helps to have a glass bottom dish.  You want a light golden top.

Oh and those scraps from the pie crust! Sprinkle with some cinnamon and sugar and throw on a cookie sheet and bake too! Put them on ice cream or just eat as they are!

The only thing this pie is missing is whipped cream...

While it's baking, whip up some fresh whipped cream. I use my hand held immersion blender or my kitchen aid...about a cup of heavy cream and a cup or so of powdered sugar with a squirt of vanilla.

You're Welcome.

What to do with an entire loaf of Monkey Bread.

I have never eaten or heard of Monkey Bread before I met my husband. Yep, I went 23 years without devouring a single piece of this cinnamony, sweet, mouthwatering, melt-in-your-mouth, buttery chunk of heaven. My mother in law is known for this delectable dish and when she makes it, it only lasts maybe a few hours, a day at the most. My husband and I once ate an entire bundt pan full in one weekend.

We are lucky enough to come from Italian families who like to cook and we like to eat. Our mothers are both incredibly hard working women who will stop at nothing to protect their families and still provide for them ...especially their favorite children, no matter how old we get...ehem...my husband and I.  On occasion, I find bags of goodies on our front door step. We always leave our mothers' houses with more than we came with. The last time, we received a whole loaf of monkey bread. This is a real thing.  I have no idea where she bought it but my mother in law somehow finds the most delicious little treats. It's not quite the same as a homemade one but pretty damn tasty, especially if it's made into french toast....and stuffed...with cream cheese....and fresh raspberry chutney...then smothered in syrup, from the one and only Mrs. Butterworth of course. Who's mom didn't make her talk and say "Good morning! Would you like some more syrup on your pancakes?"

What makes this recipe blogworthy is that I had all these ingredients ready to be thrown together in my fridge. I rarely go out and search for something a recipe calls for. Again, I "make-do." I had just baked some of my favorite Lemon Raspberry cupcakes and had leftover raspberry filling. I had cream cheese, my husband cannot live without it. And of course, the loaf of monkey bread.  Any these ingredients can be substituted. Regular bread can be used. Any filling you can think of can be used....peanut butter would be amazing! Even goat cheese! Figs! Your Noni's homemade jam! Or the one you bought off the shelf! Use whatever you have on hand. I'll just take credit for the idea.

Monkey Bread Stuffed French Toast
Makes 2 servings

2 eggs

8 slices of Monkey Bread
3/4 cup of milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
Cream Cheese, softened
Raspberry Filling (see recipe below or you can always use some jam)


Whisk together eggs, milk and vanilla.  Or do whatever you would normally do to make french toast.

Slice the loaf of bread into 8 pieces about 1/4 inch thick. (You'll have some leftover for another round of french toast the next day)

Heat your pan on medium heat and grease with some butter.

Meanwhile, prepare your "sandwiches."

Spread a layer of cream cheese on each slice

Spread some raspberry filling or your favorite jam on top of half the slices.

Smoosh together.

Carefully dip each one in the egg mixture. Be sure to drench it really well.

Place each one in the pan. Start your bacon. Yep, this needs some bacon. Doesn't every meal?

                  My husband is a pro at cooking bacon. Somehow we manage in our little kitchen.                         He only burned me once.

Because the french toast is a little thick, I noticed I maaay have cut mine into thicker than 1/4 inch...I used my panini pan top to put some weight on it so it would cook all the way through.

Cook on each side for about 3 minutes, meanwhile still cookin' up a bunch o' bacon.

When they're ready to eat, top with a coating of powdered sugar, slice in half and take pictures to make everyone jealous of what you just concocted.

Recipe for Raspberry Filling:

 All it requires is cooking down some raspberries, about a cup, with some sugar. In a saucepan on medium heat, bring to a simmer, raspberries and maybe less than 1/4 cup of sugar and some freshly squeezed lemon juice.  Once the raspberries break down, take one teaspoon of tapioca or cornstarch and mix with water. Add to the pan and cook for another 10 minutes. Let cool in the fridge until it is somewhat firm.  It'll last about 3 days or until you realize how good it tastes on almost anything...especially a spoon.

You're Welcome.