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Cook the Book: Joyce Carol's Black and Blue Pie

Posted by Lucy Baker, July 28, 2008 at 1:15 PM

More than 35 years ago Joyce Carol, a friend of cookbook author Patty Pinner's mother, entered this Black and Blue Pie in a local baking contest, where it was chosen as first runner-up. According to Joyce Carol, it would have won first place if the judge's favorite niece wasn't also a contestant.

Of course I wasn't there, but it’s hard to believe anything could top this simple, summery combination of blueberries and blackberries, lightly spiced with cloves, nutmeg, and vanilla. This is the kind of pie to enjoy for dessert, warm and straight from the oven, and then again, the next morning for breakfast.

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Joyce Carol's Black and Blue Pie

-makes one 9-inch pie-
-Adapted from Sweetie Pies by Patty Pinner

Ingredients

Dough for one 9-inch Double Flaky Pie Crust
1/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
4 cups fresh blueberries, picked over
1 1/2 cups fresh blackberries, picked over
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

Procedure

1. Preheat the oven to 450° F.

2. Gather the dough into two balls, one slightly larger than the other. Refrigerate the smaller one. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out the larger one into a 12-inch circle, about 1/8 inch thick. Place a nine-inch pie plate upside down on top of it. Using a small knife, cut around the plate, leaving a one-inch border of dough around the plate. Remove the plate. Transfer the crust to the pie plate and press firmly into the plate.

3. In a large bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cloves and nutmeg. Gently stir in the berries and vanilla until well-coated, then pour into the bottom crust. Sprinkle with the lemon juice and dot with the butter.

4. Remove the dough for the top crust from the refrigerator and roll out to an 11-inch circle. Lay the top crust over the filling. Seal the top and bottom crusts, then crimp the edges. Cut steam vents in the top with a knife. Cover the edge of the pie with two to three-inch wide strips of aluminum foil. Place in the oven and bake until the top turns golden, 35 to 45 minutes. (Remove the foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.)

5. Let cool to room temperature on a wire rack before serving.

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Tags: berries, blackberries, blueberries, Cook the Book, desserts, Patty Pinner, pies, Sweetie Pies