Recipe: Double-Crust Pie With Summer Berries And Peaches - Tasting Table (2024)

Recipes

Photo: Tasting Table

If you're using fresh, seasonal fruit loaded with natural sugar, you don't need to add a hefty amount of extra sugar. However, for year-round fruit-filling pie lovers, feel free to increase the amount of sugar. Just remember to taste as you go and let the fruit shine through.

To learn more, read "TT Culinary Institute: Pie."

Recipe from the Tasting Table Test Kitchen

Ingredients

• For the Pie
• 2 chilled pie dough discs, rolled into a 13-inch-diameter circle
• For the Filling
• 6 cups (about 2¼ pounds) mixed berries and stone fruit pieces (such as blackberries, blueberries, plums and peaches)
• 1 cup peeled and shredded green apple (½ apple)
• ½ cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest (1 lemon)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (1 lemon)
• Pinch kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons, plus 1 teaspoon, tapioca starch
• For the Assembly
• 2 tablespoons whole milk, for brushing
• 1 to 2 teaspoons white sugar, for dusting

Directions

1. Prep the dough for pie baking: Make a foil ring cover by tearing a 12-inch piece of foil and using a pair of scissors to cut the center into a circle. Bend the foil and round the edges to create a 2-inch-wide ring, and set aside.
2. Bake the crust: Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and transfer 1 chilled, rolled-out pie dough round on top. Freeze until very firm, 20 to 30 minutes. Starting in the center, use a 1-inch round cutter to punch out about 7 coin-size circles, spacing them 2 inches from the edge. Cover the dough with a damp kitchen towel and chill in the fridge for 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, fit the second rolled-out pie dough round into a 9-inch pie plate and use a pair of scissors to trim the edges, so you have an even ¾ inch overhang from the top of the pie plate. Transfer to the fridge to chill.
4. While the pie crust is chilling, make the filling: In a large bowl, combine the fruit, sugar, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt. Set aside and let macerate until you have around ¾ cup of juice and 5 cups of fruit, 45 minutes. Strain the macerating fruit liquid into a small saucepan and gently boil over medium-high heat until it's reduced to a syrup, 5 to 7 minutes. Combine with the macerated fruit and tapioca starch. Pour the fruit filling into the chilled pie dough-lined plate.
5. Assemble the pie: Carefully lay the punched-out piece of pie dough on top and pinch the two crusts together with your thumbs and index fingers to create a seal. Use a pair of kitchen scissors to trim an even ¾-inch overhang, measuring from the top of the pan. Roll the overhang under itself to create a cylinder wall and crimp. Use the index finger of one hand to push the dough between the thumb and index finger of your opposite hand to form a U shape. Continue around the pie plate until the entire crust is crimped. Freeze until firm, 30 to 40 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°.
6. Remove the pie from the freezer and set onto a rimmed baking sheet. Brush the pie with milk and sprinkle sugar over the top. Transfer the pie to the oven, reduce the temperature to 375° and bake until the crimped edges begin to brown, 20 to 30 minutes. Remove the pie and cover its golden brown edges with the prepared aluminum foil ring. Return to the oven and bake until the top turns golden brown, another 20 to 30 minutes. Most of the top crust will be be golden brown, but the thick crust edges might not be fully cooked underneath. Remove the pie from the oven, remove the ring and cover the entire pie with foil. Bake until the berry juices are bubbling and crackling, and the crust is dry, another 20 to 45 minutes.
7. Remove the foil and let the pie rest on a wire rack until completely cool for 3 to 4 hours before serving.