Okay, so I’m posting this recipe, even though it’s not working correctly (for me, anyway…) Perhaps it’ll work better for you. Anyway, this pie is a family favorite. I jut started making it 2 years ago, but it’s been so popular that my husband – who has no sweet tooth at all – salivates when he sees me buying the berries for it.

Now, before I get started on the recipe, I want to ’splain why it’s not working for me. Basically, it’s too wet. The bottom crust does not get cooked, and frankly, it’s pissing me off.

I’ve learned a few “tricks of the trade” when it comes to cooking berry pies, but so far, this recipe is failing at every attempt. I have one last-ditch effort I’m going to try before giving up on this pie. One thread of hope. Basically, I plan to cook the filling before I put it in the shell – something I don’t normally do (unless I’m making some form of tart) – but I’m hoping that pre-cooking the filling will fix the issue I’m having with this pie.

Because really, it truly is too damn good to give up on – wet-bottom crust and all.

Now, I’m going to explain part of this recipe as well – which is the preparation of the pan and oven. This is (usually) the single best trick I know for baking a perfect double-crust pie. (Again, usually) this results in a perfect pie shell. So, this recipe aside, I highly recommend using these methods any time you want to do a double-crust filled pie. It’s no fail. (for a third time – usually.)

Tip #1: You want to preheat the oven to 450°F. I don’t care what any other recipe tells you – you want it at this nice, high temperature.

Tip #2: Put a rack in the very bottom of the oven, as low as it’ll go. Most recipes tell you to use the center position for your rack. Bull, I say! Lowest position. Every time.

Tip #3: You want a cookie sheet (if you have a large pizza pan, that’ll work great) covered with aluminum foil. If the sides are shallow (as in less than 1/2″) thenfold up the edges of the foil to create a “lip”. Put this pan in the oven while the oven is preheating.

Tip #4: Butter your pie pan. Seems crazy, right? but no – butter it. And use Butter if at all possible – because butter will cause a nice crispness. You want to grease the sides and bottom completely. Then sprinkle a fine layer of granulated sugar all over the pan – make sure it’s got a nice, even coating. Then roll out your bottom crust into the pan.

These steps will pretty much guarantee you have a nice, crisp, fully-cooked bottom crust as your pie bakes. You know, as long as your filling isn’t too wet. (Gah!) but like I said, next time I make this, I’m going to fully thaw the berry mixture, toss in the thickening agents and cook it over the stovetop to be sure it sets up. That should take care of the “wet bottom” issue, and give me a nice crust.

So without further ado:

Jumbleberry Pie

Serves 12

Ingredients

• 7 cups mixed berries: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries. (You can buy frozen mixed in a 4-pound bag at your local grocery store – it’s perfect for this)
• 4 Tbsp cornstarch
• 4 Tbsp tapioca
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 c granulated sugar
• 1 egg, broken and mixed with about 1 Tbsp water
• granulated sugar for dusting
• Your favorite pie crust (I use Pillsbury – why mess with a good thing?)
• 1 pint heavy whipping cream (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
• 3 Tbsp granulated sugar (optional)

Preparation

1. Place bottom crust in shell, preheat oven (according to notes above) to 450°F.
2. In a small bowl, blend 1c sugar, cornstarch, salt and tapioca; mix well.
3. In a large bowl, turn out your berries. Add in the sugar mixture, and toss to coat well.
4. Place all ingredients into pie crust. Using a pastry brush, swipe a little egg over the overhang. Roll out the second crust over the berries, press edges together and flute.
5. Brush all over the top of the shell with the egg. Dust lightly with sugar. Using a small, sharp knife, cut 6 large vent openings in the top crust.
6. pop into the oven and back for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F, and continue baking until the crust is golden brown, another 40-50 minutes.
7. Cool to room temperature. Serve with vanilla ice cream, or chantilly cream (recipe follows).

Optional Chantilly Cream addition

1. Place heavy cream into a cold bowl. Place cold beaters into your mixer.
2. Add in vanilla and sugar.
3. Whip on high speed until cream achieves stiff peaks.

1 serving (without chantilly cream):
279 cal, 9.3g fat, 46.6g carbs, 2.3g fiber, 1.9g protein

Now, if anyone actually does try this recipe with the modifications I mentioned above (i.e. pre-cooking the filling before adding it to the shell) please let me know how it turned out. I highly suspect an additional tablespoon or two of tapioca will be necessary as well, but again, this is something I want to experiment with before committing to it. but even if you don’t, trust me – this is freaking delicious and you won’t be sorry about the mess you made. (It all tastes the same!)