Ingredients:
Pie crust (see my post entitled "The Importance of Crust"
2 1/2 cups of raspberries (to save money buy them frozen but allow them to thaw for about 30 minutes)
1/2 cup of packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon of cornstarch
1 tablespoon of butter
1 egg white
Directions:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C)
Line a 9 inch pie plate with crust and brush with egg white. Arrange the berries in the crust.
Combine sugar and cornstarch and sprinkle the mixture over the berries. Dot the mixture with the butter.
Cover with the upper crust (I prefer to cover in strips of criss-crossed dough not a full, flat crust).
Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees and then reduce heat to 400 degrees and continue baking for 30 minutes or until crust is golden brown.
Serve with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream and enjoy!
How to Make a Delicious Pie Crust!
Ingredients:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 sticks of butter
1/4 cup cold milk
Directions:
Add the flour and salt together. Then cut in the 2 sticks of butter. To do this, unwrap the 2 sticks and slice them very thinly. Do not melt the butter at all. It should be right out of the fridge. Add the slices of butter to the flour/salt mixture and use your hands to mix. Keep mixing till you have a crumbly consistency. Then add the 1/4 cup of cold milk and continue to mix until the dough sticks together in a ball.
Separate the dough into two circular disks and wrap them in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for a minimum of 15 minutes. I prefer to make the dough the day before I plan on making a pie. It breaks up the amount of time you spend working on it and the dough tends to taste better if it's been refrigerated a little longer. However, do not use the dough if it has been sitting in the fridge for more than 3 days.
When you are ready to use the dough, take out some flour and a rolling pin. Flour the cutting board and rolling pin and roll out one of the disks. Once it is rolled out to the size of your pie pan, place it in the pan and press the dough firmly against the sides. Try to make sure there is an even consistency of dough through out the pan. Before adding the filling to the crust, brush an egg white on the bottom of the crust. This will keep the filling from sticking or burning.
After you add the filling to the bottom crust, roll out the second disk of dough. Cut the dough into strips and criss cross it over the top of the filling. I prefer to criss cross the dough instead of lie it all flat on top. Not only does this allow for more ventilation, but it makes the pie more pleasing to the eye. You can see the filling inside and that makes everyone want to eat it!
