Blackberries are probably the most perishable and mysterious of our summer berry crop. Their season is even shorter than raspberries and once picked, their shelf life is fleeting. But while they’re at the markets it’s a good idea to stock up on them now. They freeze beautifully and you can use them throughout the year in pastries, over ice cream, for jam or added to the juicer.
Not many farmers at Portland’s market have blackberries. Right now, Thirty Acre Farm and Goranson have a small stash of berries, which grow wild on their land. Uncle’s Farm Stand tends to have berries too.
What gets my juices going when blackberries are in season is to use them in a pie. For that Keith Boyle, of Uncle’s Farm Stand from Hollis, passed on an old family recipe, which came from his mother, Patty Boyle, and her mother before that.
The formula is just berries, sugar and flour. When I first read the recipe I thought it called for way too much flour in the filling. I mentioned this to master baker Krista Kerns Desjarlais (of Bresca fame) and she told me that the style of older recipes was to have a thick filling that holds its shape rather than a runnier type.
The recipe is so simple it’s hard to believe that it turns out so well. But it’s an example of “if you put in good it has to be great.”
Preparing the pie; floured berries and top crust brushed with milk and sugar
Ingredients
- 4 cups (or more) blackberries
- Heaping ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup flour
- ¼ cup milk
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 ½ cups all-purcpose flour
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 4 tablespoons cold lard, cut into small pieces
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup ice water
Instructions
- Pastry dough. In the bowl of a food processor add the flour, sugar and salt. Process by giving it a few pulses to mix the ingredients together
- Add the butter and lard and process by pulsing at least 10 times or until the mixture resembles the size of small peas. Gradually add the water while pulsing with each addition until the dough holds slightly together and feels somewhat moist. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and form the dough into a ball. Break in half so you have two pieces and knead gently once or twice until the dough holds together well. Shape into a disk. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate at least 2 hours or overnight before using.
- Note: you can prepare the butter and lard about 5 minutes before you need it by cutting it into small pieces, put into a freezer-safe bowl and allow to chill in the freezer for 5 minutes. When you’re ready to use it, it will be hard and blend in better.
- Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
- Filling. Mix 3 ½ cups of the berries together with the sugar and flour, mixing gently with your hands. Set aside.
- Roll out the dough for the bottom crust and fit into a 9-inch pie plate, preferably glass (the bottom crust browns better in glass). Trim the excess dough but leave a 1 inch overhang.
- Add the berries and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup berries (without sugar and flour) over the top. Add more berries if you think you need to and sprinkle with a little extra sugar.
- Roll out the dough and place over the berries, pinching together the bottom and upper crusts. You can fold both crusts over and under if you like for a thick rim. For an old-fashioned effect, use the tines of a fork to make a decorate edge.
- Cut 4 to 6 air vents in the top crust. Then with a pastry brush dipped in milk lightly brush the top with the milk until all surfaces are moistened, making sure no puddles of milk collect. Then sprinkle the sugar over the entire crust, adding more sugar if you like.
- Put the pie on a baking sheet and place in the lower third of the even and bake for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 375 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or longer until the top crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly.
- Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
