Summer is great for a lot of reasons: beaches, barbequeing, sunshine and tons of delicious fresh produce. Berries especially are in season during the summer months. I love berries and can never get enough of them! I put them in anything and everything: salads, desserts, breakfast, and I love to eat them plain.
While I was home in Minnesota over the Fourth of July, berries were growing everywhere! I couldn't help but stop to pick and eat some while on a run through a forest trail. Berries are native to North America, and are especially abundant in the northern United States and Canada.
Berries, particularly blueberries, are incredibly high in antioxidants and phytonutrients. Delicious and healthy! Arguably one of the best ways to eat berries is in pie. Blueberry pie is the classic example, but don't forget about the other berries. I prefer mixed berries. I like the sweetness of blueberries and strawberries mixed wth the tartness of raspberries and blackberries.
Here is the recipe for the filling of a delicious mixed berry pie my aunt made over the holiday. We used this as a pie filling and simply poured it into a store-bought gluten free pie crust, but this recipe works extremely well as a sauce with ice cream, angel food cake, or just plain with a spoon!
Mixed Berry Pie Filling
4 cups mixed berries (we had blueberries, raspberries and blackberries)
Juice and zest of 1/2 of lemon
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons cornstarch
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix the lemon, honey, cornstarch and 1/2 of the berries, making sure there are no lumps of cornstarch. Stir frequently until mixture has been brought to a boil and thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the other half of berries, and turn off the heat. Let cool completely. Once cooled, spoon into a cooked pie crust. If you choose to make your own from scratch, here's The Chopping Block's recipe. I adorned the pie with stars cut out from pie dough, which was appropriate for the holiday. Be creative for whatever occasion you are celebrating!
If you want some personal hands-on instruction on making pie and crust, join us for All-American Pie Workshop coming up next Friday at our Merchandise Mart location. You'll learn how to make a different version of a Summer Berry Pie. This one has Pecan Streusel! We'll also make Raspberry-Nectarine Hand Pies and Lemon Meringue Pie. And if you want to dive even deeper into pies, join us this fall for Pie & Tart Boot Camp.
