Call Me Cupcake

Sweet food & photography

By 48 Comments

The best berry pie

There is nothing more satisfying than when you succeed with pie. Pie makes me happy. This pie is the quintessence of summer with lots and lots of raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. Perfect to serve with a scoop, or two, of vanilla ice cream.

I don’t know if it’s just me, but I kind of feel like a criminal when I’m shooting outside. I almost try and hide as much as possible because I feel like people are staring at me. When I shot these images a father and his two sons were walking by. I overheard his kids asking him “WHAT is she doing??”. They’re were on their way towards me to see what I was up to when he stopped them.
I smiled. Children’s honesty and curiosity is really refreshing. Instead of just wondering what I was up too, they were on their way to see what I was doing, without prejudice.

I’m a little sad I didn’t bring company and a blanket for my photo shoot as this beautiful spot would have been so perfect for a picnic. A pie picnic.

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2926/14370162079_9df2578f54_b.jpg

https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2928/14552397425_d1c72b77fc_b.jpg

The best berry pie

Pie crust
2 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp (375 g) all purpose flour
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1/4 tsp salt
200 g cold butter, in cubes
5-7 tbsp ice water
2 tsp lemon or lime juice
1 egg

Filling
1 kg (2.2 lbs) mixed berries (I used a mix of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries), preferably fresh
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 tbsp cornstarch
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup + 2 tbsp (180 g) granulated sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla powder (or 1 tsp vanilla sugar)
1/2 tsp ground cardamom (can be omitted)

Egg wash
1 egg
1 tbsp water
a pinch of salt

1/2 tbsp granulated sugar, to sprinkle

Pie crust
Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
Mix flour, sugar and salt in a bowl. Add the butter and mix until you get fine crumbs. Add the water (begin with 5 tbsp and add an additional 1-2 tbsp if the dough feels dry in the end), juice and egg and mix until the dough just comes together. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and put in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out about 2/3 of the dough on a lightly floured surface and line the bottom of a 24 cm/9 inch pie pan with it. Do not trim the edges yet. Put the lined pan in the fridge. Roll out the rest of the dough and cut out long stripes for a lattice pattern.

Egg wash
Lightly beat egg with water and salt in a small bowl.

Filling
Mix flour, cornstarch, salt, sugar, vanilla and cardamom in a bowl. Put berries in a large bowl, and add the flour mixture. Carefully turn berries berries with a large spoon so they are covered with the flour mixture.
Pour berry mixture into the prepared lined pan and top with pie stripes. “Glue” pie stripes onto the pie crust using some egg wash. Trim edges and use a fork to make a pretty edge, or just pinch edges together. Brush top and edges of the pie with egg wash. Sprinkle some granulated sugar on top.
Bake for 10 minutes at 200°C, then lower temperature to 175°C (350°F) and bake for an additional 50-60 minutes (start checking after 30-40 minutes so the edges don’t brown too much) until filling is bubbly and fragrant. Turn off oven and leave in the oven for an additional 30 minutes to set. Leave to cool completely in room temperature before serving with lightly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  5. haha, i know this exact feeling. it's like being spied on while doing super-secret stuff 😉
    it's a beautiful cake, i think i might try it soon, picnic included!

    Reply

  6. Amazing pictures, and it looks so delicous!
    About the CUP, how much is one cup in deciliter (DL)? 🙂

    Reply

  8. This pie is perfection which your pictures capture so incredibly well. Haha, and I definitely feel like a criminal when shooting outside..or trying to find the most beautiful cherries at the farmers' market or looking at a bowl from various different angles when choosing props in a store. Just saying these things out loud feels so hilarious 😀

    P.S. I'm in love with your new design! Very well done.
    P.P.S. After I saw that little sneak peek of your upcoming book, I was even more excited to get my hand on it!

    Reply

    • Hehe, I know! Gotta be bold when there are thousands of berry pies in the blogosphere to compete with. And thanks so much!

      Reply

  13. heehee! i chuckled with delight at your observations of feeling like a criminal when shooting this!! your pie looks so beautiful! i love pies, too! it is so satisfying when it comes out perfectly with a beautiful crust! i adore these photographs too as always – so summery, and yes, picnic-y! xo

    Reply

  15. Your photos make me so so happy. Thank you for sharing them. (Made your rhubarb cupcakes for Father's Day…they were a HUGE success! Thank you!)

    Reply

  36. This pie looks wonderful! But I'm just wondering, what pan size does this yield? And also, can I cut down a little on the berries, say to about 600g – 800g instead?

    Reply

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