Making Pies

This is possibly the best fresh raspberry pie I have ever made. It could be because I bought the berries, which came with good karma, from the local farmer's market. Or it might be that I paid attention to how I prepared the berries for the pie. Whatever the reason, it is some good.

Before I share the recipe, let me share that making pies is my thing. For some reason I have always been able to make pie crust and turn out a delicious pie. I can make cookies, too, of the simple variety: chocolate chip, peanut butter, sugar, oatmeal. And while they taste good, my cookies vary in texture and size and taste from batch to batch. Cakes are another story altogether. As my family can verify, there is a 50-50 chance that a cake I bake will turn out the way it's supposed to. More often than not the cake tastes okay, but it rarely looks like the picture that accompanies the recipe. My husband has learned to ask for a birthday pie.

I started making pies as a teen-ager. I pulled out my mother's Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook and followed the directions for a basic pie crust. I don't remember what kind of pie I first made, but it was a success so I used that pie crust recipe from then on. I now cut back on the shortening, and the crust is just as good.

For a double crust, I measure two cups of flour and sift into a bowl; cut in 1/2 cup of no-trans-fat Crisco; stir in 7 Tbsp of cold water just until blended and dough forms a ball. Divide dough in half. Roll out half on floured board or counter to fit 9 or 10 inch pie plate. Fill with desired filling. Roll out other half of dough and place on top. Crimp the edges together. Cut slits to allow steam to escape. Bake as directed. *I almost always make this recipe, either for a double crust pie or for two single crust pies. If I need a single crust I cut this recipe in half.

Yesterday, when I bought the raspberries, I realized I was going to have to use them right away. We've had an abundance of rain, which has left berries almost overripe on the vine. Once home I put one pint at a time in a strainer and placed the strainer in cold water to gently wash and pick over the berries. Then I spread the washed berries out on paper towels to drain while I washed the next pint. I'm not usually this careful but I didn't want to waste any of the fruit, and the careful handling meant very few berries had to be discarded.

I had other projects going on in the kitchen so I did something else I rarely do - I layered the berries in a bowl with sugar: 1/4 cup sugar, one-half of the berries, 1/4 cup sugar, one-half of the berries, topped with 1/4 cup sugar. Then I covered the bowl and left it one the counter. It was over an hour before I got back to the raspberries, which had started making juice. In another container I mixed 6 Tbsp of flour with 3 Tbsp of sugar, and then I gently folded that into the berries. I turned the fruit into a prepared pie plate, dotted with 1 Tbsp of butter cut into several small pieces, and topped with the second crust. The pie was supposed to bake at 450 degrees for 15 minutes, and then at 350 for 20-30 minutes longer. My oven, a convection oven that I still am learning to use, was already on so temps and times got confused. Follow the recommended time at each temperature, and check at 20 minutes to see if the crust is brown. Berry pies are done when the crust is done, unlike an apple pie where it matters if the apples are done, too.

I let the pie sit for a couple hours, to cool and gel a bit. Later, Ken and I enjoyed pie and ice cream. It was one of those culinary experiences where you hope you've discovered a bottomless pie plate and can enjoy raspberry pie until you've had your fill. Or, when you run out of pie, you hope you can find two more pints of raspberries. Or blueberries....