Summer Berry Pie

Earlier this summer, I was visiting a friend in Cedar Rapids.  One of the highlights was our trip to the city's giant 16-block farmer's market.  We bought all of the ingredients we needed to make dinner and also, a bumbleberry pie.  This was one delicious pie, and needless to say, it did not last the night.  Since that weekend, I vowed to make a pie this summer, and I followed through!  This is one is actually a no-bake recipe from Baking Illustrated, clearly one of my favorite cookbooks.  The pie turned out perfectly.  The graham cracker crust actually stays together and doesn't get soggy from the berries!  I will tell you upfront that although it is no-bake filling, there is some time involved.  Totally worth it though.

Quick note about the berries: You can use any combination of the berries to get 6 cups; I am not a huge blackberry fan because of the seeds, so I only used 1 small container of the blackberries, 2 small raspberry containers and 1 large blueberry container. Also, I thought it was weird to have the red currant jelly in the ingredient list, but I still bought it and used it. I think it adds a nice tart undertone.


Ingredients:


For the Graham Cracker Crust:

• 9 graham crackers, broken into rough pieces 
• 2 tbsp sugar (I ended up using one tbsp white sugar and one tbsp brown sugar) 
• 5 tbsp unsalted butter, melted and still warm 
• pinch of cinnamon (optional) 

For the Berry Filling:

• 2 cups raspberries 
• 2 cups blackberries 
• 2 cups blueberries 
• 1/2 cup sugar 
• 3 tbsp cornstarch 
• 1/8 tsp salt 
• 1 tbsp lemon juice 
• 2 tbsp red currant jelly 

Instructions:

1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.


2. In a food processor, process graham crackers until it turns into fine crumbs, about 30 seconds, then add sugar and pulse to combine. Continue to pulse while adding the warm melted butter (and cinnamon, if desired) in steady stream; pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer crumb mixture to 9-inch glass pie plate. It's important to press the crust down as firmly as possible for it to stay together later; it may help to press it with a small bowl or measuring cup. Bake the crust until fragrant and beginning to brown, 15 to 18 minutes. Transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely while making the filling.


3. FOR THE FILLING: Combine berries in large colander and rinse carefully; spread them out on paper towel-lined rimmed baking sheet and gently pat dry with additional paper towels.


4. Using a food processor, puree 2 1/2 cups mixed berries until smooth and fully pureed, about 1 minute. Strain puree through mesh strainer into a measuring cup or directly into a small saucepan. This will take some work, because with all of the seeds, the liquid will have trouble getting through the strainer. With all of the berry puree, you should have 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Whisk sugar, cornstarch, and salt in small bowl to combine, then whisk this mixture into puree. Bring puree to boil over medium heat, stirring constantly with wooden spoon. Eventually, the berry puree will start to boil and thicken to the consistency of pudding. Remove the saucepan from heat, stir in lemon juice, and set aside to cool slightly.


5. While puree is cooling, place remaining berries in medium bowl. Heat jelly in second small saucepan over low heat until fully melted; drizzle melted jelly over berries and toss gently to coat. Pour slightly cooled puree into cooled pie shell; top with fresh berries. Loosely cover pie with plastic wrap; refrigerate until chilled and puree has set, about 3 hours (or up to 1 day).


I served the pie with some Reddi-whip, but if you are feeling ambitious, you could whip up some fresh whipped cream. ENJOY!