Perfect Blackberry Pie Food

BLACKBERRY PIE I

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
• Combine 3 1/2 cups berries with the sugar and flour. Spoon the mixture into an unbaked pie shell. Spread the remaining 1/2 cup berries on top of the sweetened berries, and cover with the top crust. Seal and crimp the edges, and cut vents in the top crust for steam to escape.
• Brush the top crust with milk, and sprinkle with 1/4 cup sugar.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature of the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown. Cool on wire rack.

POLLY'S PERFECT BLUEBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Crust:
• Into a 9-inch pie plate, sift together the flour, sugar, and the salt. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together 1/2 cup salad oil and 3 tablespoons milk with a fork. Pour that over the flour mixture in pie plate and mix with a fork until all flour is evenly dampened. If it is still too dry to work with your hands, mix a little more oil with a little milk and add to flour mixture. With your hands press the dough evenly against the bottom and up the sides of the pie pan, allowing the excess to fall on the counter. (This will be the top crumble crust and is about 1/3 of the total crust mixture.) Sweep it into your hand and reserve in a small bowl. Crimp the edges of the bottom crust or use a fork dipped in milk to flatten the crust along the rim.
• Berry pie filling:
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To the washed berries add cornstarch, sugar, cinnamon, and freshly grated nutmeg. Stir gently.
• Place the berry mixture in the bottom crust and sprinkle lemon juice over it. Then with an ordinary teaspoon, place little 1/2 teaspoons soft butter evenly over the top of the berry filling.
• Crumble the reserved crust on top of the pie.
• Bake for 45 to 50 minutes. Check it after 30 minutes. If crust is getting golden but pie filling is not quite congealed, tent the pie with aluminum foil to keep crust from getting too brown.
• Serve with vanilla ice cream.

PERFECT BLACKBERRY COBBLER

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 and spray a 9"x 9" baking pan with PAM.
• Mix together all ingredients except berries just until blended and pour into pan.
• Pour berries on top of batter (they'll sink in).
• You can sweeten the berries with a little Splenda if they are very tart.
• If you are using frozen berries, let them semi defrost.
• Bake 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown.

BLACKBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Toss together the berries, granulated sugar, vanilla and lemon zest and juice in a large bowl. Let stand at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Meanwhile, unroll one pie crust and press it into a 9-inch pie plate. Roll out the other crust on a floured cutting board. Using a 2-inch round biscuit cutter, cut the entire crust into rounds, rerolling until all the dough is used (about 28 rounds).
• Sprinkle the cornstarch over the berry mixture and toss to combine. Pour the berry mixture into the crust and spread into an even layer. Dot the top with the butter pieces. Brush the border of the dough lightly with the egg wash. Place the rounds around the border of the pie plate, overlapping them slightly and using the egg wash as an adhesive when necessary. There will be empty space in the center. Crimp the edge of the pie. Brush the entire crust with the egg wash and sprinkle with the turbinado sugar.
• Put the pie plate on a baking sheet and bake until the center is set and the crust is golden brown, 45 to 50 minutes. Put on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve at room temperature.

APPLE AND BLACKBERRY PIE

Steps:

• To make the pastry, put the flour and butter in a food processor and whizz until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Pulse in the icing sugar. Whisk the two egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of cold water in a small bowl then drizzle over the flour mixture. Pulse until the dough starts clumping together in chunks - if it is too dry, add an extra teaspoon of water at a time. Tip out onto a work surface and knead briefly to bring together into a smooth dough. To make by hand, rub the butter and flour together with your fingertips until no big buttery lumps remain. Stir in the sugar, then whisk the egg and water as above and mix in with a cutlery knife until the pastry starts to clump together.
• Split the pastry into two pieces, with one being a little larger than the other. Wrap in cling film and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
• To make the filling, put the Bramley apples, lemon zest, 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, sugar and 2 tablespoons of water in a saucepan. Cover with a lid and bring to a simmer over a low-medium heat. Stir occasionally, returning the lid each time, until the apples are very soft. Beat over a high heat to drive off any remaining liquid and smash the apples to a purée. Take the apple purée off the heat and stir in the eating apples and blackberries. Taste for sweetness and, if the blackberries are too sharp, add a tablespoon more sugar.
• Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7 and preheat a baking tray (or pizza stone). Roll out the bigger piece of pastry on a lightly floured surface until big enough to line a 20-22cm/8-8½in pie dish with an overhang. Add the apple mixture, doming towards the centre, then roll out the second piece of pastry until big enough to cover the dish. Brush a little of the egg white around the pastry rim of the pie, then carefully lift on the top pastry to cover. Press down the edges to seal and trim any overhang with a sharp knife. Poke a few holes in the top of the pie, crimp the edge and decorate with any trimmings, if you like. Use egg white or water to stick on any pastry decorations.
• Whisk the remaining egg white with a fork or mini whisk until bubbly. Lightly brush the bubbly egg white all over the top of the pie and sprinkle heavily with a layer of granulated sugar. Place the pie dish on the preheated baking tray and cook for 10 minutes, then lower the oven to 180C/160C Fan/Gas 4 and bake the pie for a further 35-40 minutes until golden. Cut into slices and serve with ice cream or cream.

PERFECT BLACKBERRY PIE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lowest position and place four 9-inch unglazed quarry tiles on rack to form an 18-inch square.
• (A pizza stone will work, too.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees and let tiles heat for at least 30 minutes.
• Purée 1 cup of the blackberries in a food processor fitted with the metal blade; set aside.
• Stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, bring the sugar, salt, starch and blackberry purée to the consistency of thick jam over medium-low heat in a large saucepan.
• Stir in lemon zest.
• Pour thickener over remaining blackberries and stir to combine.
• Pour blackberry filling into bottom pie shell and dot with the 1 Tb.
• butter.
• Cover with top layer of pastry dough.
• Set an 18-inch square of heavy-duty foil on tiles or pizza stone.
• Set pie on foil and bake for 20 minutes.
• Remove pie from oven, brush with beaten egg white, sprinkle with 1 1/2 Tbs.
• sugar.
• Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes longer.
• Bring foil around pie to loosely cover.
• Bake until filling bubbles, 15-20 minutes longer.
• Cool on a wire rack, 2-3 hours.