Mumbleberry (Mixed Berry) Pie

A mumbleberry pie is a berry mixed with any other berry that creates a combination so delicious it stops all conversation. Choose as many different kinds of berries as you like—even non-berries like peaches, apples, and rhubarb can be sneaked in—as long as the overall quantity of fruit is 5 to 6 cups.

Ingredients

• 1 recipe any double-crust pie dough (recipe follows)
• 1 cup each of 5 different fresh or frozen berries (blueberry, blackberry, marionberry, boysenberry, raspberry, strawberry, etc.)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Juice of 1 medium lemon (2 to 3 tablespoons)
• Pinch of salt
• 1⁄4 cup to 1⁄3 cup flour, depending on how juicy the berries are
• 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• Egg white wash (1 egg white beaten with 1 teaspoon water)
• Demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Make the dough and refrigerate it for at least an hour, or overnight. Roll out the bottom crust and place it in a 9- to 10-inch pie plate. Tuck the crust into the plate and trim the edges. Refrigerate the crust while you prepare the next steps of the recipe.

2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

3. In a large bowl, gently mix the berries with the granulated sugar, lemon juice, and salt. Taste and adjust the flavors as needed. Gently stir in the flour and set the filling aside.

4. Roll out the top crust and retrieve the bottom crust from the refrigerator.

5. Pour the filling into the bottom crust, mound it with your hands, and dot it with the butter. Drape the top crust over it. Trim, fold, and flute the edges if you like. Cut generous steam vents, brush the crust with the egg white wash, and sprinkle it with the demerara sugar.

All-Butter Pie Crust

Ingredients

• 2½ cups flour
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) well-chilled unsalted butter

Directions

1. Fill a spouted liquid measuring cup with about 1½ cups of water, plop in some ice cubes, and place it in the freezer while you prepare the next steps of the recipe. The idea is to have more water than you need for the recipe (which will probably use ½ cup or less) at a very cold temperature, not to actually freeze the water or use all 1½ cups in the dough.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and salt. Cut ½ -tablespoon to 1-tablespoon pieces of butter and drop them into the flour. Toss the fat with the flour to evenly distribute it.

3. Position your hands palms up, fingers loosely curled. Scoop up flour and fat and rub it between your thumb and fingers, letting it fall back into the bowl after rubbing. Do this, reaching into the bottom and around the sides to incorporate all the flour into the fat, until the mixture is slightly yellow, slightly damp. It should be chunky—mostly pea-size with some almond- and cherry-size pieces. The smaller bits should resemble coarse cornmeal.

4. Take the water out of the freezer. Pour it in a steady thin stream around the bowl for about 5 seconds. Toss to distribute the moisture. You’ll probably need to pour a little more water on and toss again. As you toss and the dough gets close to perfection, it will become a bit shaggy and slightly tacky to the touch. Press a small bit of the mixture together and toss it gently in the air. If it breaks apart when you catch it, add more water, toss to distribute the moisture, and test again. If the dough ball keeps its shape, it’s done. (When all is said and done, you’ll have added about 1/3 to ½ cup water.)

5. With firm, brief pressure, gather the dough in 2 roughly equal balls (if one is larger, use that for the bottom crust). Quickly form the dough into thick disks using your palms and thumbs. Wrap the disks individually in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for an hour to 3 days before rolling.

*(c)2014 By Kate Lebo. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Pie School: Lessons in Fruit, Flour, and Butter by permission of Sasquatch Books