BLACK RASPBERRY PIE
This is the most amazing pie, I think I can even confirm it is the BEST black raspberry pie recipe I’ve ever used. The original recipe for this pie filling was given to me by my Aunt Judy, and she is a fabulous cook herself. I’m so glad I have this recipe to enjoy for many years to come. Since black raspberries are hard to come by, we usually only get one pie per season, but that’s the best pie EVER.
Before I jump into the the recipe itself, lets talk a little bit about raspberries. Red raspberries are most common and easily found raspberry, the black raspberry is usually not found in grocery stores, and can be found at farm markets. I get mine at Spencer Farms, a local grower who also has a u-pick area. Picking black raspberries is not for the weak hearted. You need long sleeves (even if its hot) and you will likely have stained fingers for days, and possibly scratched up hands and fingers, they do have major thorns on the bushes.
I often see the black raspberry compared to the blackberry. They are not the same berry, and the taste is different. If you’ve never hunted out a black raspberry, but you love berries, you must find them and try them. They are most wonderful in pies and jellies.
Once you have collected your berries it’s time to clean them. These berries are fairly small and delicate. I simply pour them into a colander, rinse and let drip dry (or as close to dry as they can get without being handled). You will need 5 cups of black raspberries to make 1 pie. 1 pint and 1 half pint fruit basket should give you 5 cups. While your berries are drying, it’s time to make that pie crust!
A raspberry pie is a double crust pie. You can do a lattice crust, a whole crust, or any design you choose. The day I made the pie pictured in this post, I was teaching my daughter how to make a pie crust and pie, I gave her decorative liberties and she chose to make a Star Wars themed pie. As you can see, there are planets, moons, stars, Yoda, and C3PO. She gets major kudos for creativity! Let’s make that crust!
I didn’t pay close attention to the complexities of pie crust making when my granny was here and making crusts every week, she kept them on hand, frozen in her freezer. So I had to play trial and error to find the pie crust that is BEST to me, my taste and what I’m used to from my Granny’s cooking. I found the base for my pie crust from this crust created and shared by the magnificent Ina Garten, you can view her recipe here. I have done what most cooks do and made it my own by changing up just one small step. She calls for 1/3 cup of shortening and I use butter instead. Here’s my crust recipe:
- 2 sticks plus 1 Tbsp butter, unsalted
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 TB sugar
- 6-8 TB water (give or take)
The first thing to remember about pie crust making is that you want to keep the butter and water as cold as possible without freezing. Your crust will come together and be more pliable when cold. Another thing to note, you can make a crust with no fancy gadgets, I prefer to use my food processor to make pie crust, otherwise I tend to overwork the crust and make it tough and no one wants tough crust, you want a flakey, buttery crust. Before beginning, cut your butter into tablespoon size and then each tablespoon into fourths. You want these little dots of butter. Place into a dish and return to fridge to keep nice and cold.
Into the food processor place flour, salt, and sugar. Using the steel blade, pulse until well mixed. Add all the butter and pulse 10-12 times or until the butter and flour combine to resemble pea sized crumbles. With the machine running, pour ice water down the feed tube until dough begins to form a ball. Dump onto a floured surface and roll into a ball, wrap with plastic and refrigerate for 30 minutes. (At this time, you could divide the crust in half and wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags to store in freezer for up to 6 months. When ready to use, set out to defrost, roll out and make a pie.). After the 30 minutes rest in the fridge, cut dough in half place one half back into the fridge and the other onto a floured surface and roll out to a circle shape about 1/4 inch thick. You want to roll from the center to the edge and turn as you go to prevent sticking. Use flour as needed for dusting. When complete, fold in half and in half again, gently lift and place the point into the center of the pie plate and unfold. Fit crust to plate and prepare your filling.
Black Raspberry Pie Filling
- 5 cup black raspberries
- 1 1/3 c white sugar
- 1/4 c cornstarch
- 2 Tb butter
- salt, just a dash
- 1 Tb milk
- 1 Tb white sugar
Preheat oven to 350
- Combine berries, sugar, cornstarch, and salt and toss gently to coat berries.
- Spoon into unbaked pie crust. Moisten the edge of crust with water and roll out your top crust.
- Place top crust and trim 1/2 inch beyond edge of pan. Fold top under bottom crust to seal and crimp or flute to finish edge. Cut slits into top of pie for venting
- Brush top of crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.
- Bake 1 hour. Cool to room temperature before serving. Store in refrigerator.
Thats it friends! How delish does that sound? Oh, and don’t forget the vanilla bean ice cream, every berry pie should be served warm and a la mode! I hope you all will try it out and that you enjoy it as much as I do! I always look forward to this annual treat!
Have a blessed day my friend, until next time, best wishes & yummy dishes!
