You know this is pie making season, right? There is nothing like a summer fruit dessert, whether it’s a traditional pie, a crisp, a cobbler, tart or turnover. I will take them all! Did you know that I wrote a pie book a few years back? I did, and even though I wondered if I would ever bake another pie after writing that book (there 250 recipes), pie will always have a special place in my heart.
I actually use my pie book a lot, reaching for it whenever the pie mood strikes. The book is not vegan or gluten-free, although there are over 100 vegan recipes in the book, and a lot of the recipes can easily be made gluten-free. I am still experimenting with GF pie dough recipes, and haven’t hit upon my favorite yet. But for the time being, my favorite way to make a GF crust is with the new pie crust mix from Bob’s Red Mill. It’s really good! It’s buttery and flakey, and everything you want a pie crust to be.
That photo below is a sour cherry crisp that I make all of the time. Crisps are one of my secret weapons when I don’t have time to mess around with a crust. My husband will sometimes roll his eyes at a crisp, as if it’s a pie impostor, but I don’t feel the same. Crisps are just as awesome as pies, just much quicker to make!
I couldn’t do a pie post without sharing a recipe for pie, right? I’m sharing my Razzleberry Pie Recipe from The Complete Book Of Pies. Although it’s amazing with the raspberry and boysenberry combination, you could substitute all raspberries, boysenberries or blackberries if that’s what you have on hand. Now go bake yourself a berry pie stat! Just don’t forget to save me a piece: )
xo Julie
Razzleberry Pie
Adapted from THE COMPLETE BOOK OF PIES, by Julie Hasson, 2008, Robert Rose, Inc.
Okay, so there aren’t really berries called Razzelberries (or at least not that I know of), but it seemed like a perfect name for this pie. The combo of raspberries and boysenberries is divine.
Preheat oven to 400°F
9-inch glass pie plate, greased
Rimmed baking sheet
Serves 8
Your favorite vegan pastry dough (gluten-free or regular), chilled
Filling:
2 cups fresh boysenberries
2 cups fresh raspberries
3/4 to 1 cup granulated sugar, depending on the sweetness of the berries
3-1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
Grated zest from 1 small lemon
Soymilk or soy creamer
Granulated sugar (preferably a slightly coarse organic or turbanado sugar)
Divide pastry dough into 2 pieces, one slightly larger than the other. On a lightly floured surface (using rice flour if making the crust gluten-free), roll out larger piece of dough into a circle and fit into prepared pie pan. If necessary, dust work surface and dough with a little more flour as necessary to keep the dough from sticking. Press it into place. Roll out remaining dough for top crust and set aside on sheet of parchment paper.
Filling: In a large bowl, combine boysenberries, raspberries, sugar and cornstarch, gently mixing to combine. Scoop berry mixture into unbaked piecrust, mounding fruit slightly in center. Lightly moisten edge with a little brush of water. Put top crust over fruit, trimming and fluting edges. Cut steam vents in top of pie. Brush top of pie with soymilk and sprinkle with coarse sugar. Position a rack in center of oven with another rack underneath it. Place pie in center of preheated oven, placing a rimmed baking sheet on the rack below.
Place pie on a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F and bake for 40 to 50 minutes more, or until top is nicely browned and juices are bubbling and thickened. If pie starts to get too brown before it’s finished baking, you can cover the pie loosely with a piece of tented aluminum foil.
Remove pie from oven and place on a rack to cool for at least 1 hour, so that pie filling has a chance to firm up before slicing.
Tip: If you like your pie filling a little runny (rather than thick), you can reduce the cornstarch to 2 tablespoons. You can also use frozen berries instead of fresh in this recipe. Make sure NOT to thaw them. Using frozen berries will increase the baking time of the pie by 15 minutes or so.
