Paula Johns's Recipe

Rustic Blackberry Pie

Category: Pies

To get the rustic collar, you'll need to make your own pastry or buy a pie crust you can roll out.

1 9inch uncooked pastry crust, rolled to 15 inches
5 cups blackberries
2/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons sugar, divided
3 tablespoons cornstarch
3 tablespoons boysenberry or other berry jam, whisked thin

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place pastry in pie or tart pan with dough overhanging.
2. Combine berried, 2/3 cup sugar, cornstarch and jam in a large bowl. Mix gently and spoon into pastry. fold pastry edges over fruit. Brush pastry with water and sprinkle with remaining 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until crust is golden brown and juices are bubbling. Let cool completely on wire rack. Serves 8.
Per serving:230 calories, 5g fat, 5mgchol., 2g prot., 44 g carbs, 5g fiber, 85 mg sodium

Pie Pastry

You can mix the pastry dough easily in a food processor, or be therapeutic and make it by hand.

1 and 1/4 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
1/4 cup chilled shortening
4 tablespoons (about) ice water

1. Combine flour, sugar and salt in a large bowl. Mix in butter and shortening with fingers or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some larger pieces (1.) Add water and stir with a fork until mixture holds together. Scrape onto a sheet of plastic wrap and form into a ball. (2). Flatten to a 1 inch thick disk. Wrap and chill 1 hour.

2. Lightly coat a 9 inch pie pan with cooking spray.

3. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface into a rough 15 inch circle. For the blackberry tart, place in pie or tart pan, letting crust extend over edge of pan (3). For the blueberry pie, place in pie pan, trim edges, fold and crimp.