Blueberry, Berry or Cherry Pie
When you are obsessed with picking and preserving the fruits of the season, inevitably pie baking becomes part of this routine. I have experimented and tried dozens of ways to thicken pie fillings over the years and this method is by far the best. Here you will cook and thicken the filling prior to adding it to the crust, taking away the guesswork about whether your filling is cooked enough in the pie. Using this method, you will always have a picture perfect pie slice to serve your guests.
Equipment
- 9" pie plate
- rolling pin
- tin foil
Ingredients
- 6-8 cups blueberries, raspberries, mixed berries or cherries fresh or frozen
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1½ tbsp unsalted butter
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- 3-4 tbsp Instant Clear Jel
- 2 dough balls from the Busy Life Pie Crust recipe or other pie dough for a two-crust pie
- 2 tbsp cream for brushing the top of the pie crust
- 1 tbsp turbinado sugar or another coarse sugar
Instructions
Make the filling:
- Combine the blueberries and sugar in a 8-litre pot and cook on med-high heat until the mixture starts to boil.
- Add the butter, lemon juice and cinnamon.
- Add the Instant Clear Jel, one tablespoon at a time, mixing well between additions. Cook until the mixture thickens and the Instant Clear Jel is no longer visible. This should take 3-8 minutes.
- Take the mixture off the heat and let it cool to room temperature. The mixture will continue to thicken.
Make the pie:
- Roll out the first pie crust and place it in the pie plate.
- Fill the crust with the cool blueberry pie filling.
- Roll out the second pie crust and place it over the filling. Crimp the edges of the pie.
- Put several slits in the top crust with a knife so that the steam from the filling can escape when the pie is cooking.
- Brush the top of the pie with cream and sprinkle the coarse sugar over the top.
- Fold a piece of tin foil in quarters and cut out a circle. Open the tin foil and center the circle over the pie and lightly wrap the edges of the foil around the pie. (This is to prevent the edges of the pie from burning.
- Place the pie on a tin foil-lined baking pan.
- Put the pie in a 450°F oven, with the rack on the bottom third of the oven. Bake for 10-15 minutes at this temperature.
- Reduce the temperature to 400°F and continue to bake for another 30 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and the filling is visibly bubbling under or through the slits in the pie crust. Remove the tin foil protection halfway through this baking time.
- When the pie is done, put it on a cooling rack to cool. Let the pie cool completely before slicing to allow the filling to set.
Video
Notes
For making sour cherry pie filling use 6 cups of fresh or frozen sour cherries, ¾ cup of sugar, 3-4 tbsp Instant Clear Jel, and a splash of lemon juice. Cook as directed above. It is nice to make individual pies with only a top crust. I use 5" ramekins when I want to make this version of cherry pie.Nutrition
Calories: 376kcalCarbohydrates: 64gProtein: 4gFat: 13gSaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 5mgSodium: 180mgPotassium: 127mgFiber: 4gSugar: 35gVitamin A: 115IUVitamin C: 11mgCalcium: 22mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!