Summer is the time of lovely fruit, and the time for pie. This is a kitchen sink pie – not enough of any one fruit to make a pie. So, 2 kinds of plums – black and sugar – and a whole bunch of blackberries.
Prepare to make thy pie!
Preheat oven to 450 F for a metal pan; 425 F for a glass pan. Make pie crust first. While it chills in the refrigerator, prepare the fruit.
Pie Crust – makes two 9” crusts
2 c. flour
1 tsp. salt
2 T. sugar
7 T. cold butter (100 g)
6-7 T. cold water
Cut butter into small dice. Place in bowl with flour, sugar, salt. Cut butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. Add 6 T. cold water; mix well with fork but do not overblend. If it seems a bit dry, add 1-2 T. more, 1-2 t. at a time. You may also use a food processor to make the dough, just be sure not to over process once you add the cold water.
Gather together into a ball. Wrap with plastic wrap and let rest in refrigerator while you chop fruit – about 30-60 minutes is fine.
Pie Filling
4-5 cups of fruit, clean, washed, picked over. This pie was about 3 c. plums and 2 c. blackberries.
Juice of 1/2 lemon – about 1T.
1/4 – 1/2 c. sugar (some of the plums were a bit tart)
2-3 t. Chinese Five Spice form Penzey’s (China cassia cinnamon, star anise, anise seed, ginger and cloves)
3 T. small tapioca
2 T. flour
1 T. butter – to dot fruit when it is in the pie dish, before the second crust is added.
Chop fruit. Stir in with all other ingredients to set up and meld flavors.
After you have finished with the fruit, take the pie dough out of the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature about 10 minutes. Cut in half, with one side slightly larger for the bottom crust. Roll out crust, place in pie pan. Place fruit into pan. Dot with butter. Roll out second crust, place on top. Roll edges over or under to seal pie. Crimp with fingers or flatten with fork. Slash top crust for ventilation.
Bake pie at 450 (425) for 10-12 minutes, then drop oven temperate to 350 F (for metal pan) or 325 F (for glass pan) for another 45 – 60 minutes, or until crust is done. Remove from oven, cool.
Ink, Yarn & Beer 