My Favorite Berry Pie

These recipes come from a book that is out of print, but if you can get a hold of it - it is a treasure. Rodale's Basic Natural Foods Cookbook. It is 800 pages of natural recipes. A wonderful resource! 'Tis the season for:

Berry Pie

• pastry for two pie crusts (suggestions below)
• 4C fresh berries (blackberries, raspeberries, blueberries, cherries, cranberries, elderberries, huckleberries, locan berries, juneberries, gooseberries, strawberries, or currents)
• 1/4 tapioca*
• 1/4C plus 1T honey**
• 2T butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon or nutmeg (optional - but tasty!)

1. Preheat oven to 450F
2. Prepare crust of choice (suggestions below)
3. Roll out 1/2 of the pastry on a flat surface and line a 9" pie plate with the crust.
4. In a medium size bowl mixe berries, tapioca, honey, butter, and cinn. Pour mixture into dough. Roll out ramaining crust and place over filling. trim, seal, and crimp edges. Make several steam vents in the top of the crust. (or make laddice or crumb topping if preferred)
5. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350F and bake for 30 -45 minutes or more if needed. Cool to room tempature on a wire rack before serving.

*I grind large tapico balls (not instant) into a powder and use it that way.

**If making cherry, cranberry or goosberry pie add 3T more honey (equalling 1/2C total).

This is also very tasty if made without a crust and backed in a cassarol dish and used as a decadent ice cream topping!

If you have a favorite crust use it - here are some suggestions if you don't or you want to try something new.

SourCream Pie Crust (2 crusts)
2 1/2C WW pastry flour
1/2C cold butter
1/2 to 2/3C cold sour cream

Put flour in med sized bowl, and cut in cold butter (with a pastry knife or back of a fork or two butter knives.) When you are finished it will be an even mixture of course lumps.

Mix in sour cream a little bit at a time to bind the dough until it holds together. (amount may very)

Chill for 30 minutes or more.

When ready to fill the pie, devide dough in half and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness and line a buttered 9" pie plate. (Repeat and shape for top and vent or cut into lattice.)


Basic Rolled Pie Crust (2 crusts)
2 1/2C ww pastry flour
6T cold butter (1/4C + 2T)
4-6T oil
4-6T ice water

• Put flour into medium bowl; cut in cold butter with pastry cutter or 2 knives distribute evening.
• Add oil slowly as you continue to cut until the dough forms a unifrom course meal (crumbly).
• Slowly add icewater while mixing until the dough can be gathered into a ball. (Not crumbly, not wet)
• Place dough on a piece of floured wax paper. Flatten dough with your hand and sprinkle with flour. Cover with another pice of waxed paper and roll into a 12" circle, about 1/8 to 1/4" thick. Remove top sheet and invert onto a buttered 9" pie plate. Pat it place.

Fill pie and repeat rolling process for top crust. Crimp edges and cut vents or cutt into a lattice and bake as directed.

OR

Bake empty piecrusts for 12-15 minutes @ 425F cool and fill as other recipes may call for.

Rich Pie Crust (bottom only)
1/2C Ricotta Cheese or Cottage Cheese
1/3C Butter
1 1/4C WW Pastry Flour

In a medium bowl, combine all ingrediants together, tossing gently to form dough. Chill.
When ready to fill the pie, press crust into pie plate.

* You can double this and press shapes to drop on top, or do a crumb topping.