June 30, 2021 - 3:09pm
Black & Blue Berry Pie
Good morning, friends.
Please be cool and stay safe. I am preparing for a black and blue CSA farm box special today. I was about to put on my shorts and head over to the 24/7 Morten Williams supermarket; for some supplemental berries. Then I thought to myself, a little pectin never hurt any pie! Enter the pink lady.
The players are:
Blueberry
Black Rasberry
Pink lady apple
Lemon juice
1/4 tsp. Cardamom
pinch of cloves
1/4 tsp. Ginger.
1/4 tsp. Nutmeg
3/4 tsp. Cinnamon
Pinch of salt
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The cake looks fantastic! Did you compose the recipe yourself or did you take it from some book and modify it?
I have been getting weekly farm shares that started this past winter. One vegetable shares one meat share, and as of early spring a fruit share also. It is a new (for me) way of cooking. I have to use what comes in the shares to create our weekly meals. Using what is locally available and included in my weekly allotment. The berry pie was no different. I did not have quite enough berries, so I supplemented it with a grated apple. (which also helps to thicken the juicy berries.) The spice mix is a conglomerate of spices known to work well with black & blueberries. Smile... It tasted fabulous, by the way. Thanks for the compliment!
Too pretty to eat! Lovely, just lovely!
Messing with these pie toppers is becoming addicting!
Have you ever added tapioka to your berry pie fillings? Just curious since we're in berry season.....
Hi, Mini.
I do use tapioca. Not the quick type just plain old tapioca flour. However, tapioca does not tolerate being heated more than once. I have found I can control the consistency of my filling much more precisely by making syrup on the stove then mixing it with the fruit flesh. Because of the switch to a stovetop pre-cooked filling, I don't use tapioca as much. That being said I did add a heaping tsp. to the fruit flesh on this and other berry pies as insurance.
Now let's talk about the newest trend in thickeners. Enter Instant clear jell. This is cornstarch that has been modified in the laboratory. I could not tell you exactly how it is modified. People are raving about this stuff and calling it a miracle breakthrough in pie-making. King Arthur flour website carries this. It is not cheap, but from what I read only a small amount is needed. Read up on it and see what you think. For me, if I can get these really good precise results using cornstarch I see no reason to source instant clear jell. Keep in mind this is different than the clear jell used in canning, For pies you want, Instant clear jell.
Best regards,
Will F.
Clear gel looks fascinating.