Tri-Berry Pi From the (not-so) Frozen North

With Spring around the corner, thoughts turn to pie and picnics. For this delicious Tri-Berry Pie you will need the following ingredients.

Equipment

9" Pie Pan
Rolling Pin
Fork (in our case a spork...)
Small Knife
Cooling Rack

Crust

2 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter (well chilled, cut into 1/4" cubes)
1/2 teaspoon White Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup of Cold Water

Egg Wash

1 egg, beaten

Filling

4 cups of a Mix of Fresh Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries
2/3 of a cup of White Sugar
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
1/2 tablespoon Butter

Notes

This pie can be made as a traditional double crust. For this you will need to make a second batch of dough.

Step 1: Crust Ingredients

You will need:

2 cups of All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 sticks Unsalted Butter(well chilled, cut into 1/4" cubes)
1/2 teaspoon White Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Salt
1/3 cup of Cold Water

Step 2: Mix Dry Ingredients and Add Butter

Mix dry crust ingredients in a large bowl.

Add butter, and toss to coat.

Begin to break up the butter cubes with your fingers.

It's OK if there are big chunks of butter left as they will cause the dough to be flaky.

Step 3: Add Water and Form the Dough

Add the water to bring the dough together.

Step 4: Wrap and Chill Dough (Optional)

This step is optional, the dough is now ready to use. If you want to chill it, form into a disk and wrap tightly in saran wrap and place in refrigerator.

Step 5: Roll Out the Dough

Place dough on a well floured surface and roll out to 1/8" thickness. Periodically set the pie pan on top of the dough to ensure the dough will completely cover the pan. 

If the dough cracks, use your fingers to pinch it together.

Note: If you chilled your dough you may need to warm it up with your hands to make it easier to work with.

Step 6: Fit Dough to Pie Pan

Roll the dough over your hand or rolling pin and transfer to the pie pan.

Begin to press it into the bottom of the pan and ensure that there is no space between the pan and the dough.

Step 7: Trim, Crimp, and Prick the Pie Shell

Trim the pie crust by pressing your thumb against the pie pan. You can do this step with a knife as well.

Pinch dough around the edges of the pan with your thumb and index finger to crimp the edges.

Finally, poke the bottom of the shell with a fork (or spork). This step prevents the crust from bubbling up.

Step 8: Filling Ingredients

4 cups of a mix of Fresh Blueberries, Raspberries, and Blackberries, washed and picked over
2/3 of a cup of White Sugar
1/4 cup All Purpose Flour
1 1/2 tablespoons Lemon Juice

Step 9: Mix the Filling

Add half the berries, half of the sugar, and half of the flour. Stir to combine. Then stir in the remaining halves and the lemon juice. Mixing in halves ensures a better distribution of the dry ingredients.

Let sit for 15 minutes.

Step 10: Cut Out Pi Decorations

At this point you should pre-heat your oven to 450ºF.

Re-roll out scraps from forming the pie shell or a second batch of dough.

Place a Pi shaped stencil on the dough and carefully cut along the edges. 

Step 11: Pour Filling Into Pie Shell

Pour the filling into the pie shell, arrange Pi decorations, and dot with butter.

Step 12: Egg Wash the Crust

Take 1 egg and beat it. Brush the egg evenly over the exposed crust.

Step 13: Bake the Pie!

Bake the pie at 450ºF for 10 minutes. Then reduce the heat to 350ºF and bake for an additional 35-40 minutes or until the crust is golden brown. Rotate the pie halfway through the bake to ensure even browning.

Step 14: Cool the Pie (almost There....)

Remove the pie from the oven and set on a rack to cool.

Resist the urge to tear into it immediately. Hot sugar burns are not fun.

Step 15: Consume! Enjoy!

Do I really need to add a step here....EAT THE PIE (PI)! Goes well with vanilla ice cream or in our case Sweet Amish Milk gelato from http://capogirogelato.com/