Marilyn Batali's Blackberry Pie

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Marilyn Batali emailed her recipe for this seasonal pie, which she regularly used in Seattle after filling up their station wagon with buckets of blackberries.

Active Time:
30 mins
Total Time:
7 hrs
Yield:
1 (9-inch) pie

Making a double-crust fruit pie is all about achieving a flaky, golden brown crust that envelops a juicy yet adequately thickened filling of the season's best fruit. Check out our tips for making a great crust from scratch. As for the filling, it's imperative to bake the pie until the juices are bubbling. If the crust reaches the ideal shade of toasty brown before this happens, use a pie shield to protect the edges or a piece of foil to tent over the pie as it continues to cook. Because of fruit pies' tendency to ooze and sputter as they bake, place your pie on a rimmed sheet pan (preferably lined with foil) to mitigate the risk of a sticky mess inside the oven. Plan ahead since this recipe for blackberry pie should be made at least seven hours before it's served.

Ingredients

Crust

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

  • 3 tablespoons sugar

  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 cup solid vegetable shortening, chilled

  • 5 tablespoons ice water

Filling

  • 2 pints blackberries (1 1/2 pounds)

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

Directions

  1. First, make the crust. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the shortening and, using a pastry blender or two knives, cut it into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the ice water and stir with a fork until the dough is moistened. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and gather it into a ball. Knead the dough two or three times, just until it comes together. Divide in half; flatten each piece into a disk. Wrap each disk in plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour.

  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Let the dough stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Working on a lightly floured surface, roll out one disk of dough to a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch glass pie plate. Roll out the remaining dough to an 11-inch round.

  3. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir the blackberries with the sugar, flour, and lemon juice, lightly mashing a few berries; scrape into the prepared pie crust and sprinkle the butter cubes on top.

  4. Brush the overhanging pastry with water and carefully set the top crust over the berry filling. Press the edges of the dough together and trim the overhang to 1 inch. Fold the edge under itself and crimp decoratively. Cut four slits in the top crust.

  5. Bake the pie in the center of the oven for 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the bottom crust is golden and the fruit is bubbling. If necessary, cover the edge with foil for the last few minutes of baking. Let the pie cool for at least 4 hours before serving.

blackberry pie

Make ahead

The baked pie can stand at room temperature overnight.

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