BAKING,  DESSERTS

{Baking} MIXED CHERRY & BERRY PIE … the day dessert was on Jamie! Great for Mother’s Day!

2010/05/07 / 61 Comments
“Yield to temptation; it may not pass your way again”
Lazarus Long

title  I really shouldn’t have stopped by. The minute I saw Jamie’s post title in my reader I was mesmerised but I knew I had to stay away. Yet, I reached there in a hypnotic trance following the strings of my heart! How they tugged, and not without reason. There she had posted the most gorgeous lattice crust Mixed Berry Pie, a pie I have long wished to try, but have never had the courage to.

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But when someone so close to you makes and blogs about the most perfect looking pie under the sun, you know it’s more than safe to head out to the kitchen and take a stab at it. The hot weather here is not very pie crust friendly, and most certainly not pastry rolling friendly either; but I had THAT pie on my mind! I was prepared for lattice failure because at 40C+ I know that pastry and pastry strips don’t hold up well.  Take a look, I tried to do a lattice, didn’t succeeed a 100% well, but managed a patchy job, which was good enough for a first time.

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I loved everything about the pie. First it had fruit in it, which as most of you know is my first love in baked desserts. You can use a mix of seasonal mixed berries, or even customise it to your tastes with berries of your choice. The pie crust is full of gorgeous goodness, and very very forgiving. It holds up well with good old patchwork, which I resorted to to a large extent as the pastry wasn’t doing too well in the heat. In the end, as you can see for yourself, it held the pie together beautifully.

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For a step by step tutorial on pie crust making, do stop by at  Jamie’s post here, as she is quite the pastry queen! She’s had extensive experience in pastry making and can toss together a mean pie in minutes! {She and I are also partners in our blog dedicated to macarons @ MacTweets! have you been there yet? Do stop by and feel free to join a whole bunch of macpassionate folk find feet once a month!}

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The verdict on the pie for me was out before I even sliced it. In my mind I thought, “If it looks and smells  this good coming out of the oven, it’s gonna taste even better!” Wasn’t far from it. It was divine in every bite. The fruit all firmed up beautifully, and had the perfect consistency. Mr PAB gave it a high five, and called it a quality dessert … well he did get a second slice for that!! I was bursting with pride, and when I tweeted it out to Jamie, so was she!! You could try making it for Mother’s day, trimmed with heart cut outs or flowers! She’ll  L♥VE  it!!

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It was everything good, even it had a cup of butter in the crust. Well no butter in the filling, made up for that and it balanced beautifully! I reduced an egg in the pie crust because pastry making experience in hot weather has made me wiser. Maybe next time, if I make it in hot weather, I ‘ll use just the yolk. That might give me a firmer dough. I think you can even get the whole pie together, and chill it in advance, baking it later if you need to. Might just work out to be a good dessert to make in advance. Oh, and I have to say, it tasted very nice cold too!

Main

MIXED BERRY PIE WITH SWEET PASTRY LATTICE CRUST
Adapted minimally from Jamie @ Lifes A Feast
Filling:

6 cups (ie one filled glass measuring cup) mixed berries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup vanilla sugar, or granulated
1/3 cup flour
Juice of 1 lime
*I used 2 cups fresh, seasonal pitted black cherries, 1/2 cup stoned plums, 1 cup frozen strawberries. You can use blackberries, blueberries, raspberries or currants too.
Sweet Pastry Pie Crust {Double crust}
2 1/2 cups plain flour
1/2 cup vanilla sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled, cut into cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten with a fork
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
making
Method for filling:
Toss the sugar, flour, cinnamon and zest together in a small bowl and stir to combine. Place all of the fruit in a large bowl and, using your hands, toss with the flour/sugar mixture until all of the fruit is coated with the dry ingredients.
Method for pie crust:
Combine flour and sugar in the bowl of the food processor. Add chilled butter & whiz till breadcrumb like mixture forms,.
With a fork, vigorously stir in the lightly beaten egg until all the dry ingredients are moistened and a dough starts to pull together and form a ball.
Scrape up the dough together, re-flour the surface lightly and work very briefly and quickly until you have a smooth, homogeneous dough. If the dough is a bit too soft or sticky for you, refrigerate it for 10 or 15 minutes until it can be easily rolled out without sticking to your rolling pin.
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Cut the dough in two pieces, one half slightly larger than the other (this larger part will be the bottom crust). On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough for the bottom crust until you have a circle about an inch (2 cm) wider all around than the bottom of the pie plate. Carefully roll up the dough around the rolling pin and lift and transfer to your pie dish, unrolling into the dish. Gently lift up the dough all around, sliding and pressing the dough down into the dish so as avoid stretching or breaking the dough. If the dough splits, no worry, it can simply be stuck and pressed together again.
Using a knife or your rolling pin lying flat on top of the pie dish, cut off all excess dough hanging over the edges. Repress the sides of the dough back into the (crimped) sides of the pie dish.
Pour the prepared fruit filling into the pie dish and push the fruit around until evenly distributed and filling any gaps.
making+2
Preheat the oven to 190°C.
On your floured work surface, roll out the remaining dough into a circle the size of your pie plate or slightly larger. Cut into even strips of any width. Form a lattice over the fruit filling. Using every other strip from the cut circle of dough, space them evenly across the top of the pie, leaving the edges hanging loosely over the edge of the pie.
Trim the edges of the dough strips and press (flour your fingers if they stick to the dough) the strips into the dough of the bottom crust. If you like, use any leftover dough to make decorative shapes for the top (I made hearts). ‘Glue‘ these shapes of dough onto the crust with a bit of milk. Gently and lightly brush the crust lattice with milk.
IMG 1100
Bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes, until the crust is golden and cooked, and the fruit is bubbling. If any part of the crust begins to brown too fast – the edges of mine began browning well before the center, simply cover with strips of aluminum foil.
Carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool on a cooling rack. The filling will firm up perfectly when cooled to room temperature.
Serve plain, with unsweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
final+recipe
♥ Thank you for stopping by ♥

On another note, my good friend Sid, the Chef at Large, asked if I’d like to host a giveaway on my blog for my local readers! YES please! So here we are. On offer is a delicious dinner for 2 at the Empress of China, Intercontinental Eros at Nehru Place, to be used anytime in the month of May. Do leave a comment on this post telling me what your fave Chinese joint in the NCR is! Will pick a winner on Tuesday!

Don’t miss a post feed 819C331039EA0DE66B78891B2FC7A90E
Posted by Deeba @ PAB

About me: I am a freelance food writer, recipe developer and photographer. Food is my passion - baking, cooking, developing recipes, making recipes healthier, using fresh seasonal produce and local products, keeping a check on my carbon footprint and being a responsible foodie! I enjoy food styling, food photography, recipe development and product reviews. I express this through my food photographs which I style and the recipes I blog. My strength lies in 'Doing Food From Scratch'; it must taste as good as it looks, and be healthy too. Baking in India, often my biggest challenge is the non-availability of baking ingredients, and this has now become a platform to get creative on. I enjoy cooking immensely as well.

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61 Comments

  • Happy Cook

    2010/05/07 at 4:44 pm Reply

    First you have beenmaking me drool for all the strawberry you have been posting here and now you are doing the same with the cherries and i am still waiting for the season, i have never made a pie too, always think itmight fail,
    Jamie shure know how to make them 🙂
    I am trying this when there is cherry season and that is in jully here 🙁

  • The Cooking Ninja

    2010/05/07 at 4:51 pm Reply

    mmm…truly gorgeous pie and reminds me of cherry pies my MIL makes every summer. 🙂

    Would putting your butter in freezer help? Roll the dough out between 2 baking sheets or plastic. Put it back in freezer and then cut it into strips later while you prepare your cherry filling and rolling out the rest of the dough to make pie dish. Would that help?

    I wish we have some sunny weather here. It has been raining non stop since last Fri and weather man says more rain to come until Monday. 🙁

  • VeggieWiz

    2010/05/07 at 4:54 pm Reply

    That looks stunning Deeba! Gotta ask u…..where in gurgaon do u buy ur fruits from? I bought a box of cherries the other day and they didn't look half as good! 4 months living in ggaon and i'm still hunting for the perfect place to buy fruits n veggies!

  • Joy

    2010/05/07 at 5:04 pm Reply

    That looks amazing. I love summer for the change to use so many different ingredients. Your pie looks so good.

  • Simran

    2010/05/07 at 5:21 pm Reply

    Gosh! That's such a beautiful pie.

    I'm not vying for the giveaway here but just have to tell you about my favorite Chinese in Delhi. It's the CP's Bercos – perfect Indian Chinese (what will I do without their Golden Fried Babycorn) and the best fruit beer on earth.

  • Uzma

    2010/05/07 at 5:44 pm Reply

    what a perfect recipe for cheeries are now in season….pls post a mango recipe when the season comes…thx!
    Btw, I love your photography! Would love to know which camera do u use?

  • Rosa's Yummy Yums

    2010/05/07 at 5:58 pm Reply

    Berries are irresistible. That pretty pie is to die for! A fabulous recipe!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  • htraders@ymail.com

    2010/05/07 at 6:46 pm Reply

    Kudos for mustering the will power to brave pastry in Delhi's heat. I would stick everything in the freezer, and I mean everything and then rush to get it in the oven in a jiffy:)
    Chinese…ummm I usually like my own; but I used to frequent Bercos in CP & Taipan at Oberoi alot, wonder if they are still around/as good….its been a while.

  • Grapefruit

    2010/05/07 at 8:04 pm Reply

    gorgeous!
    and you did a beautiful job with the lattice – doesn't at all look patchy to me!

  • Bellini Valli

    2010/05/07 at 9:21 pm Reply

    We make something called bumbleberry pie which is similar but has apples thrown in for good measure. Good for you for being a new food trier. I knew you would love it with that melange of berries.

  • astheroshe

    2010/05/07 at 10:21 pm Reply

    that is drippy and delicious :).. I still think the hardest thing to make in pastry is a perfect pie!
    Groooovy! 🙂

  • Gloria

    2010/05/07 at 11:40 pm Reply

    oooppss!! You made it again Deeba!! ja,ja, yes look georgeous, beauty and wonderful I die for cherries, I missed them because we are in autumn but that's the lofe. look awesome. Have a nice Mom's day!!! xoxoxoxoxo gloria

  • Sarah, Maison Cupcake

    2010/05/08 at 12:30 am Reply

    That looks brilliant, those little pastry hearts are inspired! I love how you pile up fruit on your bakes, I might nick that idea from you in a future post – with full credit of course! x

  • Lazaro Cooks!

    2010/05/08 at 1:14 am Reply

    Fantastic post. Gorgeous photos. The attention to detail is very evident in the final product. Cheers!

  • Anamika

    2010/05/08 at 4:22 am Reply

    Deeba the pie looks absolutely delicious. tried making it myself with the cherries of Dharamshala which were really fresh n flavourful….it turned out really tasty n juicy. the problem being theat the lattice never sits in a straight line, the minute i lift it to add the other strip, it gets all crooked.
    Everything u make looks so good : )

  • Rambling Tart

    2010/05/08 at 5:11 am Reply

    Deeba! You did a fantastic job!!! Wow, it's just gorgeous. 🙂 Pie makes me SO happy, especially berry or cherry and you combined both! DELICIOUS!! 🙂

  • WizzyTheStick

    2010/05/08 at 5:18 am Reply

    unfortunately I don't qualify for the giveaway. Just stopping by to saw how amazing this pie looks

  • Vandana Rajesh

    2010/05/08 at 5:51 am Reply

    The pie looks absolutely delicious.I am an ardent follower of your site and love your baking recipes. A pie is not one that I have not got to baking yet, in fact, haven't had the courage to try one is the truth. Have to simply try this one though. Your site is one I consider a bible to baking. Just too good!!

  • Nachiketa

    2010/05/08 at 6:48 am Reply

    oh la la… just in time for mother's day… just when i need a low sugar recipe…

    Deeba… u won't believe it… have some tart shells in the oven as i write this [not pastry though, done with biscuits] just after i took out your lemon cake, and as destiny may have, i've got cherries n plums sitting in the fridge… Yipppeee…. 🙂 Mommy will be 1 happy mom, thanks to you… 🙂

    You are very brave to attempt pastry in this sweltering heat…. I won't even dare trying it at midnight in an a/c room in Delhi summers….

    Finally a giveaway in India…..
    Love the chinese at Oriental Bloom, Ansal Plaza and The Chinese, CP (inner circle).
    Bercos is what we grew up on but has now been reduced to food worse than a food court but the fruit beer still rocks.

    cheers to the deep mystical connection we have…

  • Amy @ cookbookmaniac

    2010/05/08 at 9:54 am Reply

    Fantastic pics! I especially love the one with the cherry filling coming over the side of the pan. It made me crave a good hot pie. Too bad cherries are out of season in Australia 🙁

  • Jamie

    2010/05/08 at 10:52 am Reply

    Ah, sister, perfect, just perfect! I love baking with you but will be thrilled the day our baking together is no longer virtual but standing elbow to elbow in the same kitchen. I'll teach you how to lattice a pie crust and you teach me how to decorate a cake. Gorgeous and now I am waiting soooo impatiently for cherries to appear on the market so I can make this with cherries (my favorite!) too. Hugs to you and too happy the Man loved it!

  • vincent

    2010/05/08 at 11:25 am Reply

    Hello,

    We bumped into your blog and we really liked it – great recipes YUM YUM.
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  • bunkycooks

    2010/05/08 at 11:59 am Reply

    Your pie looks pretty perfect to me! I have yet to try lattice pastry. Yours came out quite well! Baked fruit pies have to be some of the best desserts, especially when the fruits are in season.

  • Avanika [YumsiliciousBakes]

    2010/05/08 at 12:30 pm Reply

    Oh Dee, that pie looks delicious! I wish I had a slice right about now! Browsing blogs on an empty stomach is probably not the best idea!

  • penny aka jeroxie

    2010/05/08 at 1:29 pm Reply

    I was refraining myself from reading this post so late in the night but could not help myself. Now I have cravings.

  • Eliz

    2010/05/08 at 2:08 pm Reply

    Deeba – AMAZING! Cherries will not be in season here for a while, but they are my absolute favourite, so I will definitely give this a try. Your photography is mouthwateringly beautiful. Thanks for sharing!

    Eliz

  • Memória

    2010/05/08 at 8:20 pm Reply

    I love that you made a pie using a tart pan! I also love the lattice top, the sweet pastry crust recipe, the filling, photos, and blog header! There's a lot of loving going on haha.

  • Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

    2010/05/08 at 11:55 pm Reply

    Oh my!
    Your photos are like art!

    I can almost taste the berries.

    I'm going to look around some more.

    I'm going to bookmark your blog so that I don't lose it.

    Do drop in.

    Laura

  • Foodessa

    2010/05/09 at 11:22 am Reply

    Hello Deeba…I guess while most of us wait for our juicy plump cherries to grace our fruit markets…we'll have to keep gazing at your wonderful dessert.
    You are so incredibly talented.
    Thank you for sharing such a lovely edible (albeit virtual) piece of art ;o)
    Flavourful wishes, Claudia

  • Tangled Noodle

    2010/05/09 at 12:52 pm Reply

    I thought your clafoutis was amazing but this mixed berry pie has outdone even that! I've never tried making a lattice top, much less under the conditions you described – it's a testament to your incredible baking skills that you pulled it off so beautifully!

  • Meetu

    2010/05/09 at 2:42 pm Reply

    Deeba, The pie looks utterly butterly delicious…….. The first pic is gorgeous and absolutely divine. It will take me years to come to a level to even think of trying to make this. Amazing post.

    Coming to the free get away my fav chinese place is oriental octopus in Noida

  • Lynsey James March

    2010/05/09 at 7:18 pm Reply

    Yum! What a great summertime pie! Will be making this for the 4th of July, but might breakdown and want it sooner 🙂

  • Jo

    2010/05/11 at 1:19 am Reply

    OMG I am totally blown over! What a gorgeous tart and I love the lattice effect. Haven't struck up the courage to do one yet. The pictures are an absolutely delight to the eye.

  • Elga

    2010/05/11 at 6:31 am Reply

    I falled in love with this tarte! I'll wait for cherries on july! Thanks deeba for this great recipe!

  • aastha

    2010/06/04 at 12:09 pm Reply

    Deeba,
    I'm a very very recent baker with only an app;e pie baked.
    Please tell me,
    do you put the berries uncooked as filling?
    also, what about the seeds?

  • Sandhya Nagesh

    2012/02/16 at 9:24 am Reply

    Hi Deeba,
    chanced upon this one yesterday and baked it at once…Yum..I am so in love with this !!!

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