Deep-Dish Blackberry-Peach Double-Crust Pie

I have a feeling time goes faster than I'd like it to be.  It's two more weeks until Labor Day weekend; after that school will start and I will go back to my regular work.  I really like summer time because there's time to be with family and go on an outing.  It'll be kind of sad when September rolls over.

For most of days, I've time to bake with what's available in season.  There are several recipes that I've tried but not all will make it to this blog.  There's a chocolate zucchini cake which was a disappointment, a fermented cassava cake which was still to be perfected, but most of the pies I did will be shared here though.  This is one of them, when the peaches were plenty and blackberries hung by a handful.

Each pie slice is a burst of juicy blackberries and sweet peaches and I love it when I can successfully cut a perfect pie slice--pat myself on the back.  We topped our pies with a scoop of vanilla ice cream, hmmm...I wish I still had that slice.

Deep-Dish Blackberry-Peach Double-Crust Pie

Make 8 to 10 servings

Double Crust Pie Pastry:

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup cold vegetable shortening, cut into pieces
1/2 cup cold water

Filling:

6 to 8 small to medium-size ripe peaches
4 cups fresh blackberries
1/2 cup plus 3 tablespoons sugar
3 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Glaze:
Milk or light cream
Sugar


To make the double crust pastry:
In a food processor, pulse together flour, sugar, and salt.  Add butter, pulse a few time.  Add shortening, pulse until the mixture forms into lima bean-size pieces.  Add half of the ice water, pulse again.  Then add the last half of ice water, pulse until the mixture starts to clump and look moist.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and gather into two balls; one ball should be slightly larger than the other; this will be the bottom crust.  Flatten each into a disk with the heel of your hand.  Cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerated at least an hour or overnight before rolling.

Once ready, take out the bottom crust disk; allow to rest for 10 minutes.  Liberally flour the work surface and roll the pastry into a 13 1/2-inch circle.  Gently fold the pastry into the rolling pin and invert pastry over a 9-inch deep-dish pie pan.  Gently tuck the pastry into the pan, without stretching it, and let the overhang drape over the edge.  Place in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.

To make the filling:
Blanch, peel, and slice the peaches into a large measuring cup; you'll need 4 cups.  Combine the sliced peaches, blackberries, and 1/2 cup of the sugar in a large bowl.  Toss well to combine and set aside for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix the remaining 3 tablespoons sugar with the cornstarch.  Stir the mixture into the fruit along with the nutmeg, lemon juice, and lemon zest.  Preheat the oven to 400 degree F.  Take out the smaller disk of pastry and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Roll out the top crust pastry onto a floured surface to a 11 1/2-inch circle.  Turn the filling into the chilled pie shell.  Smooth the fruit with a spoon and dot with the butter.  Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell.  Invert the top pastry over the filling.  Press the top and bottom pastries together along the dampened edge.  Trim the pastry with scissors or a paring knife, leaving an even 1/2-inch overhang all around, then sculpt the overhang into an upstanding ridge.  Slash the top of the pie with a knife to allow steam to escape.  Brush top crust all over with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for for 30 minutes.  Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degree F and rotate the pie 180 degrees.  Just in case, slide a large aluminum foil-lined baking sheet onto the rack below to catch any drips.  Continue to bake until the juices bubble thickly at the steam vents and the top is golden brown, 35 to 45 minutes.  If the top starts to get too dark, cover it with loosely tented aluminum foil during the last 15 minutes.

Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 2 hours before serving.


Source:  Pie by Ken Haedrich

Marionberry Pie

I'm back blogging after being absent for a while.  I was away on a vacation to California the last week of June and was back in town just before the 4th of July to enjoy it at home.  As usual, fireworks were being deployed in the front yard by a happy teen and the performance was highly encouraged by his parents and grandparents.  I'm glad to be back home again; the vacation was normally a satisfying break from daily grind because we got to spend time as a family together, saw friends and family member, and enjoyed unfamiliar scenery.  

Summer has been a gorgeous season here in Oregon.  While we're away the temperature stayed in the upper 90's to sometime 100's.  As a result the fruits have been bountiful and I got to enjoy plenty of Oregon berries.  I've canned strawberries and raspberries as jams and doled out a few jars to a friend and family member in California.  After I went back home I looked for farm that has U-pick Marionberry as I seldom pick these in the summer.  Weird, huh, because these are supposed to be the berry of Oregon, the native child of the state.  There's one farm out in Beaverton that has U-pick Marionberry, which my son and I went to last weekend, called Hoffman Farm.  It was bit of a drive but it was beautiful out in the country.  We got still plentiful of berries despite the long and thorny vines that we had to avoid.  We also picked some blackberries and raspberries though they're almost out mostly because the heat baked them on the vines.  

I managed to make jam from these beauty and still have leftover.  I then decided to try a pie using filling that's prepared with a different method.  I've used Clear Jel from making canned pie filling before and I decided to utilize it again this time.  Berry pie filling always has lots of water in it that by using Clear Jel I can avoid overly runny filling.  The crust is all-butter crust which smells yummy during baking time.  In the end, even if the filling is still a bit runny, the crust collapse here and there, it's still a delicious pie that's even better with whipped cream or ice cream.

So here is my hard-earned prize after a hard-worked day of picking berries!

Marionberry Pie

Makes 1 9-inch pie

1 cup + 2 Tablespoons chilled unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar

3 Tablespoons ice water

Cut butter into 1" pieces.  Chill it while you measure other ingredients.  Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Add the butter and toss until coated.  Using your fingers and palms, work the butter into smaller, irregular pieces, moving quickly and aggressively, so it stays cold.  You want some pieces pressed flat and thin and others that are larger and chunkier.

Combine the vinegar and ice water in a small cup.  Drizzle the liquid over the flour mixture, running your fingers through the flour as go to evenly distribute.  Knead in the bowl until the dough starts to hold together.  It will still look a little dry, but resist the urge to add more water; excess liquid can lead to a tough dough.

Turn the dough out onto a work surface (no extra flour needed) and smash with the heels of your hands a few more times, working in any shaggy edges.  You should still see large-ish pieces of butter and maybe a dry spot here and there.

Cut dough in half.  Press each half into a 1"-inch thick disk and wrap in plastic.  Chill at least 1 hour (and up to 3 days) to firm up the butter and allow the dough to hydrate.

While the dough chills, make the filling.

Marionberry Pie Filling

Makes 4 cups

3 1/2 cups Marionberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup + 1 Tablespoon Clear Jel

1 1/3 cups cold water

1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon lemon juice

Place sugar and Clear Jel in a large saucepan, whisk to combine thoroughly.  Tip in the water and boil the mixture over medium high heat; stirring constantly.  Cook until the mixture begins to thicken.  It will turn from the milky white color to a clear color.  Once the mixture thickens, add lemon juice and cook for 1 minute; stirring constantly.

Remove the mixture from the heat and add in the berries.  Don't over stir, just fold them well.

Continue with making of the pie:  Roll out 1 disk of dough on a lightly floured surface to a 13" round (about 1/4" thick).  Slide onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and chill while you roll out remaining dough to a rectangle, measuring 8" x 14" to make lattice top.  Cut this dough on the long side into strips, each strip measuring 2" x 14".  You want the strips to be a bit longer than the diameter of the pie round.  Any excess strip can be cut with scissors later.  Slide strips onto parchment-lined baking sheet and chill.

Transfer the round dough into a pie dish; lift up edges to allow dough to slump down into dish.  Scrape in the filling.  Beat in 1 large egg with 1 teaspoon water in a small bowl.  Brush outer edge of bottom dough with half of the egg wash; then weave lattice strips over filling.  Cut excess strips and press each strip to the edges.  Fold over the rest of the dough that's hanging out on the dish.  Brush pie with remaining egg wash and sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons demerara or granulated sugar.

Preheat oven to 350F.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil and set pie dish on top.  Bake pie until crust is deep golden brown on top and bottom and juices are bubbling, about 1 to 1 1/2 hours.  If the top is browning too quickly, cover it with aluminum foil loosely.  Let the pie cool at least 4 hours before slicing.

Sources adapted from:

Bon Appetit, June 2015 (Pie Crust)

The Creative Home, July 2011 (Pie Filling)