4th of July Blackberry Pie

So far 2012 has been a year of pies for me. Just go over to my Pinterest board “Pie, Pie for the 4th of July” if you don’t believe me. Savory & Sweet pies. Little & Big pies. Free-form pies & fried pies.

Are you aware this is National Pie week? If you have tuned in to NPR at all I am sure you know this by now. Every day this week some wonderful stories & lots of pie history.

My favorite berry, the Blackberry, arrived ripe & juicy at the Downtown Nashville Farmer’s Market  this past week.

My goal? To bake a pie for the simple joy of it. I wanted to honor the history of pie using an antique pie tin I love, fresh local blackberries using very little sweeteners & an easy pie crust recipe. I wanted my pie to look….historical…not fancy, not over filled & embellished. This is my very easy to make recipe for “4th of July Blackberry Pie”.

Ingredients:

Sweet Pie Crust/Pate Sucree pre-made for a bottom & top crust (I used Martha Stewart’s basic recipe for Pate Sucree found in all her books & on-line) or any pre-made pie crust you prefer

1 to 2 quarts ripe, juicy blackberries

1/2 cup sorghum molasses

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp crunchy sanding sugar

Flour for dusting work surface

1 egg yolk + 3 tbsp cream or milk whisked together for glazing crust

Instructions:

1. Here is how easy it is to transfer a rolled out pie crust into a pie pan….first roll dough out into a circle larger than the pie pan, fold in half & then again…

…place point of folded dough in center of pie pan..unfold once & once again. Press dough into pan.  Easy.

2. Rinse & gently pat berries dry with paper towels. Put berries in a mixing bowl. Drizzle sorghum & balsamic vinegar over berries and gently toss to coat.. Pour berries into bottom crust.

3. To make a lattice top, roll 2nd crust out into another circle larger than the pie pan. Cut dough into strips using a decorative cutter or knife about 1″ wide.

4. There are many ways to make a “lattice” pie crust. You can “weave” the strips of dough in and out of each other  making a basket weave,  or just simply lay strips over filling first one direction & then the other. Strips can be close to each other or spaced with larger opening like I did with this pie. I didn’t want to hide the berries under lots of crust.  Trim edges of both bottom & top crusts & turn under edges pressing to seal.

5. Brush dough with the egg-cream mixture generously. Sprinkle sanding sugar over all. Place in refrigerator to chill for about 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

6. Bake for about 30 minutes until berries are hot & bubbly and crust in golden brown. Remove & allow to cool for 15 minutes before serving. Very good warm or at room temp. With ice cream or not.

Keep it simple, keep it good. Stay cool. Happy 4th.