Blueberry and Black Raspberry Pie

My Blueberry Nights: Blueberry and Black Raspberry Pie

One advantage to shopping at a farmer’s market is finding things that aren’t available in the grocery store. This week’s find was black raspberries. Originally native to the east coast, commercial black raspberry cultivation takes place on the west coast, mostly in Oregon.  Black raspberry plants yield less fruit than the red raspberry. They are also prone to Raspberry Mosaic disease (hear that Margaret?) so they are costly to grow on a large scale but it might mean that one of the farmers at your local market just might have some.

We’ve entered blueberry season. Last week, I made a blueberry crumb pie so I decided on a slight variation, mixing the black raspberries I found with some blueberries. Think of this as a great way to get your antioxidants. The end result is delicious; when cooked, the black raspberries have an amazing flavor, even when mixed with blueberries. We held back on seconds, but not too long.

This recipe is for a 9“ pie. I made it with a top crust, but you could cover the pie with a crumb topping.

Blueberry/Black Raspberry Pie
For one 9” pie
Needed: a double recipe of pie dough for a top crust pie.


Filling:
1 pint blueberries (2 cups)
1 pint black raspberries (2 cups)
½ cup sugar
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
2 Tablespoons lemon juice

1. Rinse the blueberries and black raspberries under cold water. Pick over the blueberries; remove and discard any stems that may still be attached to the berries. Place the blueberries and black raspberries into a bowl. Add the sugar, cornstarch, and lemon juice, and stir to combine. Set aside.

2. Heat oven to 450 degrees.

3. Roll out the pie dough on a lightly floured surface to a thickness of 1/8th inch. Be sure to roll the crust in one direction, turning the dough as you work, using additional flour as needed. Fit the crust into the pie plate. Lift and place the dough; don’t stretch the dough. Refrigerate or freeze the pie shell for 10 to 15 minutes.

4. Remove the pie shell from the refrigerator/freezer. Fill the shell with the berries, scraping out any of the sugar/cornstarch mixture that may have sunk to the bottom of the bowl. If using a top crust, roll it out a place it over the fruit. Seal the edges and trim any excess dough. Crimp the outer edge of the crust. Cut a steam hole into the center of the top of the pie. (If using a crumb topping, spread the crumb mixture evenly over the fruit.) Place the pie onto a baking pan. Place the pie into the oven and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, reduce the heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for 50 minutes, until the filling is bubbling. Remove pie from the oven and let cool before serving.