Berry Pie

All the recent talk of (and work about) pie made me hungry for one. So the other night, I dug through the freezer finding the last of last summers berry bounty–and made the quintessential mid-winter pie. It’s the pie that gets us through the cold, the chill, reminds us that there really are warmer days ahead and this is what to expect. I sliced open a fresh vanilla bean and put the seeds plus the whole pod in there, really infusing the raspberries and a few blueberries with it’s warmth. I sprinkled a little brown sugar over the whole thing, covered it with the top dough, and waited while the smells of summer and vanilla wafted through the house.

It came out fragrant and golden–with three large humps (I didn’t thaw the berries before I put them in there and the raspberries were in huge clumps pre-baking). The juice was ruby red, alluring and lemony-tart. The subtle sweetness of the brown sugar seemed to be an after taste, bringing out the full flavor of the berries–my favorite. If you have berries left over from last summer, or if you find yourself in the frozen isle at the grocery and pick some up, I would recommend making a pie. It is such a treat during the winter! I can’t help myself but to dig my fork into the entire thing during the afternoon or late at night–nibble nibble .

ps-Recently, I’ve been working on an updated version of Eating Is Art . I hope to have it up and running in a few days!

Berry Pie

Filling:
3 cups berries
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 whole vanilla bean, sliced down the center with seeds scraped out into the pie and then whole bean placed in pie for baking

Dough:
3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1/2 cup earth balance
1 tablespoon apple cidar vinegar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon ice cold water

Combine flour, butter, earth balance, salt, and vinegar. Mash together with your hands until butter is incorporated in chunks with the flour. Add the water and continue mixing with your hands until a big clump forms. Split into fourths and roll each out (2 for pie bottoms and 2 for pie tops). Line the bottom of the pan, fill with berries, sugar, and vanilla bean/seeds and then place the top dough on. Cut around the edges for any extra hanging off, and then pinch around the sides with your thumbs to seal it. Make some little slits in the top for air vents. Place in a preheated oven of 400 degrees F and bake for 45 mins-1 hour.

Enjoy!