Blackberry Pie
Credit: André Baranowski
MAKES ONE 9" PIE
When Jon Rowley was a child, his grandmother used to make juice from fresh-picked blackberries. In it, he says, "you could taste and smell the briar". In this recipe, Rowley's wife, Kate McDermott, has combined that flavor from his youth with a tender, flaky pie crust to create an exemplar of the Pacific Northwest's cuisine.
2 1⁄2 cups plus 1⁄3 cup flour
9 tbsp. cold butter, cut into small pieces
8 tbsp. cold rendered leaf lard,
cut into small pieces
1 tsp. kosher salt
6 cups (about 1 1⁄2 lbs.) blackberries
3⁄4 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
1⁄2 tsp. lemon zest
A very small grating of nutmeg
1 egg white
1. Put 2 1⁄2 cups flour, 8 tbsp. butter, lard, and half of the salt into a large bowl. Using your fingers, blend together until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Sprinkle 10 tbsp. ice-cold water over the mixture; stir gently with a fork until dough comes together. Halve dough; form it into 2 thick disks, each about 5" wide. Wrap disks separately in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 1 hour.
2. Unwrap 1 dough disk; transfer to a well-floured surface. Whack it with a rolling pin several times to flatten it out; turn it over and repeat. Roll out dough to form an 11" circle; transfer it to a 9" deep-dish pie pan. (If dough tears and needs mending, dab a little water where it requires patching and "glue" on a piece of dough.) Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
3. Arrange a baking sheet on lower rack of oven; heat to 425°. Put berries, 3⁄4 cup sugar, lemon juice, zest, nutmeg, remaining flour, and salt into a bowl. Using a wooden spoon, mash gently to make a textured filling; pour into chilled crust; dot with remaining butter; set aside.
4. Beat egg white and 1 tbsp. water together in a bowl; set aside. Roll out remaining dough disk into an 11" circle; cut into 3/4"-wide strips. Arrange strips over pie in a lattice pattern; trim excess dough and crimp edges of pie. Brush crust with egg mixture; sprinkle with remaining sugar. Bake on the middle rack of the oven until crust is just golden, about 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°; bake until golden brown and bubbling, about 30 minutes more. Let cool before serving.
"I can't get over the crust--it's certainly the best one we've ever tested in the kitchen. It will also be the one I use at home from now on! It's rare that we receive recipes that are so delicious and accurate on the first try. I can't thank you enough, Kate!"
I"m sorry it didn't work out for you Jessiet. You may want to take a look at this link that details out how to make the crust.
http://artofthepie.com/wordpress/crust/flour-salt-fat-and-water/
All best,
Kate McDermott, Art of the Pie