Gingery Mixed Berry Pie
Published July 24, 2017
- Total Time
- 1 hour 50 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
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Ingredients
FOR THE FILLING
⅔ cup/140 grams granulated sugar
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
5 tablespoons/40 grams cornstarch
2 teaspoons very finely grated, peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon candied ginger, finely minced (optional)
4 cups/592 grams blueberries
2 cups/288 grams blackberries
2 cups/246 grams raspberries
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
Pinch kosher salt
TO FINISH
1 egg for egg wash
2 teaspoons turbinado sugar
¼ teaspoon flaky salt, like Maldon, not table salt
FOR THE CRUST
A double batch of all-butter pie crust, refrigerated
Preparation
- Step 1
In a large bowl, combine the sugar and lemon zest. Rub the zest into the sugar with your fingertips until well combined and fragrant. Stir in the cornstarch, fresh ginger and candied ginger (if using). Add the blueberries, blackberries and raspberries to the bowl. Sprinkle the lemon juice over the top, but don’t stir quite yet. Let sit while you make the dough.
- Step 2
Place one disk of the pie dough on a lightly floured surface. With a lightly floured rolling pin, roll the dough into a 12-inch-wide circle ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Fit it into a 9-inch pie dish, trim any rough edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang, and set it in the fridge while you roll the other crust and cut the lattice.
- Step 3
Roll the second disk of pie dough into a circle roughly 12 inches wide and ⅛ to ¼ inch thick. Use a pastry wheel or knife to cut the dough into strips about 1 ½ inches wide.
- Step 4
Gently stir the filling together until well mixed and pour it into the pie dish. Press gently to pack down the berries into the dish.
- Step 5
Weave the dough strips into a lattice. Trim off any excess dough and fold the edges of the bottom crust up and over the lattice strips. Crimp together the edges. Slide the whole pie into the freezer until the crust is very firm, about 15 minutes. While the pie is chilling, heat the oven to 400 degrees and set a rack in the bottom third of the oven.
- Step 6
After the pie has chilled, place it on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Beat the egg, then brush the top of the pie with the egg wash and sprinkle with turbinado sugar and flaky salt.
- Step 7
Bake the pie until it is deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 45 to 55 minutes. If the crust begins to burn before the filling bubbles, tent it with aluminum foil. Cool before serving.
Private Notes
Comments
I personally cannot stand the gluey taste and texture that cornstarch creates. So in recipes that call for berries, I generally use frozen berries. I thaw them overnight and drain away all the juice (it's great to drink up, or mixed in with lemonade); there is no need for cornstarch any more. Or if you're using fresh berries, macerate them with some sugar and place over a sieve (mash them a bit to help release the juices) and remove the juice.
Followed the recipe as written. Chose not to use candied ginger, just the fresh stuff it calls for. The pie is fantastic. I was concerned the ginger might be too spicy, but it added just the right amount of warmth to the recipe. The berries are not tart. It's great with vanilla ice cream. Used Melissa Clark's pie crust recipe.
I always use quick-cooking tapioca rather than tapioca starch, again, 3 TBS for a berry or rhubarb pie. The few times of tried cornstarch or flour I haven't been very happy.
(The candied ginger idea sounds good; a little bit of cloves in a berry pie can be a nice subtle variation as well - thought courtesy of the blueberry pie recipe in an old standby that is excellent for pies - The Spice Cookbook (1964)).
If using thawed and drained frozen berries without cornstarch: the recipe calls for a total of 1,126g berries. I used 3lb (1360g) mixed berries. Thawed and drained, this resulted in only 942g berries. Turned out delicious for me, but 1,625g frozen (just over 3.5lb) should be what's needed to reach the total weight given in the recipe.
I halved this recipe and used a small 6-inch pie dish. There was about 2/3 cup extra filling, which I just saved (cooked on the stove) and ate with yogurt or oatmeal. I used frozen berries and it worked out great. I kept everything as cold as possible to prevent thawing before putting the pie in the oven. No soggy bottom issues. Just needed to bake quite a bit longer. The ginger wasn’t too strong at all (I used crystallized ginger too). Flavor was well balanced.
Can I use frozen berries, and if so, do i need to thaw and drain first?
