Just wondering if anyone happened to grab this REC Meryl posted for Blackberry Pie? I have

W

wigs

Well-known member
just been requested to make one (for a catering client), and this eat.at site is ALWAYS my first go-to site for superb recipes, but I cannot get to her link anymore. Thanks in advance if anyone can assist.

PS: When I tried going to just the 'www.boxcarkitchen.com' site that Meryl referenced in her post (thinking I could do a search on Blackberry Pie once I got there), that web page came up for me in Japanese or Chinese or some other cryptic (to me!) foreign language.

http://www.boxcarkitchen.com/post/2007/03/19/Picketing-for-pie%3A-Blackberry-rights

http://eat.at/swap/forum/index.php?action=display&forumid=1&msgid=48529

 
Sorry, no from me, Wigs. But I would truly advise you to taste your available blackberries

before moving forward. The fresh ones I can obtain here (both organic and conventional) are SO BITTER that I wouldn't think of baking with them. They are even too bitter for smoothies.

 
I have not had that problem with blackberries--they are not naturally very sweet

anyway--but not bitter. I think some people were finding the blueberries to be a little "bitter" this year--I found them "seedy", but still delicious to me. Love, them.

 
no luck either, but I found this lovely thread about summer memories while searching for blackberry

posts. such a nice thread and made me think about new memories. I now think of campfire "pies" made with buttered bread in pie cookers----either fruit or pizza. that's a new memory for us now since last summer.

http://www.eat.at/swap/forum1/24445_Summer_food_memory

 
Rec: Black or other berry Pie with the blog post. I can't access the picture.

This is the recipe Meryl lined to from Boxcar Kitchen Blog that seems to have gone away.

Picketing for pie: Blackberry rights

Originally, this was supposed to be for the Waiter, What's in My...Pie event but that didn't really work out. Well, actually the pie BEFORE this one was supposed to be for the event but that pie quickly turned into the pie that WAS. This one almost suffered the same dangerous fate if not for the sheer and heroic willpower of my mother.

On one of the many blustery nights when I was back home, my mom and I decided to turn on the oven, heat up the kitchen and make ourselves a pie. And since we all (my pops included) think that blackberry pie is hands down the best pie on the planet, the flavor decision was unanimous. The smell of flakey crust and bubbling berries soon filled the house and we all sat around the kitchen waiting impatiently; very, very impatiently. When the oven timer finally went off, it was dark outside and there was no light left to shoot the pie. So, we ate it. All of it. Well, we did share it with my aunt and uncle but still, there wasn't a single sliver left to photograph.

What to do? We did what any good bakers do. We made a second pie the very next day. The crust was even closer to perfection and not a single ounce of berry juice spilled out through the venting. The pie was picture perfect. The only problem was that once again, it was evening, there was no light and the very bad berry pie monsters were getting hungry; very, very hungry. You know that you're a goner when your reasoning starts going something like, "Well, if the three of us only eat half of the pie tonight, that leaves an entire half for pictures tomorrow."

And then, it happened. A slow and steady chant began to fill the room, "More pie, down with photos!, MORE PIE, down with photos!, MORE PIE, DOWN WITH PHOTOS." To my surprise I heard my own voice echoed by my dad's. We were pie possessed and the official unofficial pie strike had begun. We chanted; we stomped our feet; we paraded through the living room. We were united!!!! No backing down until we had more pie!!

Our solidarity paid off, we got our second piece, er... I mean 1/3. I'm almost ashamed to admit that I ate 5/6 of a blackberry pie in less than 48 hours. But then again, it was good; really, really good.

PS: My mom was the only one with enough willpower and thanks to her sacrifice there was one piece left the next morning. This photo is dedicated to her.

Black or other berry Pie

Flaky Pastry for Two-Crust Pie
2/3 to 3/4 c sugar
2 Tbsp. flour (or 1 1/2 T. quick cooking tapioca)
1/2 t. grated lemon zest
1 to 2 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
4 cup fresh or frozen berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, loganberries or boysenberries)
1 Tbsp. butter


Roll out two crusts and line a 9 inch pie plate with the bottom crust.

Combine all the ingredients except the berries and butter.

Arrange half the berries in the lined pie plate and sprinkle without about half the sugar mixture. Add another layer of berries and the remainder of the sugar mixture.

Dot with butter and add the top crust. Crimp the sides and vent the crust.

Bake at 425°F for 40-50 minutes until the filing is tender and the crust is nicely browned.

Serve warm or cold if there happens to be leftovers.

 
I'm basing my opinion on childhood berry picking out in the woods. BEST EVER were the ones

growing wild along the highway by the campsites at Kinzua dam. Those suckers were as big as my thumb joint and as sweet as a lollipop. More than half never made it back to the campsite for pancakes.

Now I keep buying them in the hope I'll get back to that taste memory, but they never satisfy.

http://www.theallegheny.com/Kinzua_Dam.html

 
REC: Blackberry Pie--I found one attributed to Meryl in search that references this pie by Beranbaum

Blackberry Pie

Recipe By: Rose Levy Beranbaum
Serving Size: 8
Yield: Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients:

Flaky Pie Crust
1/2 cup granulated sugar (I used a bit sugar less since my berries were super sweet)
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
pinch of salt
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 lb. fresh blackberries

Directions:

1. Remove one disc of pie dough from the refrigerator for the bottom crust. If it's too hard to roll, let it sit out for about 10 minutes. Roll out the dough to about 1/8 inch thick and about 12 inches in diameter. Carefully transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Trim the dough edge to about even with the edge of the pan. Cover with plastic and let dough rest in refrigerator for 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, cornstarch, salt, lemon zest. Whisk in the lemon juice to make a slurry. Add the blackberries and gently toss the berries to coat with the slurry. Be careful not to crush the berries. Let sit for about 15 minutes. Toss the berries once more and then pour the mixture into the bottom crust.

3. Roll out the remaining disk of dough to about 12-14 inches in diameter. Cut a 12-inch diameter circle from the dough for the top crust. Moisten the edges of the bottom crust with water and gently place the top crust over the berries. Tuck the overhang under the bottom crust and press down to seal the two crusts. Crimp the border with your fingers or with the times of a fork. With the tip of a knife, cut 3-5 slits in the top crust to allow steam to vent. (Or if you prefer, before covering the fruit with your top crust, using a decorative cutter to cut out whatever shape you like. Save the cut outs to place on top of the pie before baking).

4. Cover pie loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour before baking. This rest will allow the pastry to rest so that it remains flaky and to help keep the crust from shrinking.

5. Set your oven rack to the lowest position. This helps to ensure that your bottom crust is completely baked. Preheat over to 425F. Place your pie on a rimmed baking sheet to catch any juice. You may want to line your baking sheet with foil or parchment for easier clean up. Bake at 425F for 30-45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. (Check the pie after 30 minutes and protect the edges from over browning with a ring of foil if necessary.)

6. Allow pie to cool on a rack for at least 4 hours before serving.

Flaky Pie Crust

Recipe By: Rose Levy Beranbaum

Ingredients:

7 ounces (14 tbsp) unsalted butter, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
11.25 ounces (2 1/4 cups) bleached all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
5 to 7 tbsp ice water
1 tablespoon cider vinegar

Directions:

1. Divide the 7 ounces (14 tbsp) of butter into 2 portions: 4.5 ounces and 2.5 ounces (9 tbsp and 5 tbsp). Refrigerate the 4.5 ounce portion and freeze the 2.5 ounce portion for at least 30 minutes.

2. Place the flour, salt and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade. Process for a few seconds to combine.

3. Add the 4.5 ounces of (refrigerated) butter and process for about 20 seconds or until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the 2.5 ounces of (frozen) butter and pulse until the frozen butter is the size of peas.

4. Add the 5 tbsp of ice water and the vinegar and pulse 6-7 times. Pinch a small amount of the mixture to see if it holds together. If not, add another 1 tbsp water and pulse 3 times. Try pinching again to see if it holds together. If not, add the final 1 tbsp water and pulse 3 times.

5. Divide the dough in half. Wrap each portion with plastic wrap and flatten into discs. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 2 days.

 
Now that is interesting because wild blackberries here are tiny and very tart--we picked

every year when we had the place to do it for blackberry jelly. The culitivated ones I could pick for a number of years were the large ones--and pretty sweet and juicy. Which is what we get now at the farmer's market. One time last year I found some wild ones for sale and they were a treat. ;o)
The wild blueberries were a REAL treat at the backpacking trip we took in the NC mountains--absolutely loaded bushes--tiny tiny and sweet sweet.

 
Thanks to everyone who has come to my rescue! I'm all set now with what U folks have unearthed for

me. I purchased some Driscoll's blackberries that taste fine to me--meaning, not bitter--so I'll be diving into pie making this evening. You are the absolute best!

PS: AngAk1, I truly enjoyed reading the summer memories post. My favorite is about strawberries. Each summer when they came on, Mom would make homemade biscuits which we'd slather with sweetened mashed strawberries, but the key factor was: That was our entire supper! It was always heavenly to have dessert for supper once or twice each strawberry season. 'Twas the only time we kids could ever get away with something as outlandish as that!

 
closest dessert for dinner we had: German flinzen pancakes with butter and sugar and maybe apple

compote and for sure homemade jam. we would slather on butter and sugar or jam and roll up and devour. these pancakes are like crepes or thin Swedish pancakes, very eggy and so good. I think every ethnic group has a version of the crepe.

 
Lol, you two will have to bunk together. Lisa already has the guest room. I haven't done the short

cake dinner for a few years. DH can't eat strawberries anymore, at least not in very large amounts.

 
Final report: I used ideas from all the RECs posted & Harold, who's 82, told me I made the best

blackberry pie he has ever eaten. Since blackberry is his favorite type pie, I imagine he's tasted a few of them during his lifetime. Kudos to all of you for your great suggestions and help in locating recipes to share with me. I'd never made a blackberry pie before, and now Harold thinks I'm a whiz at making them!

 
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