Blackberry Custard Pie
Scrumptious Pie!
Now there is a long story behind the search for this recipe. I have memories of eating this pie as a child and thought it was a pie from one of my Grandmothers. Well I have been informed by my mother that neither one of my Grandmothers ever made this pie that she could remember and doesn't know where I ever got that from???? But I do remember it... and it was so good - so I will have to just say maybe it was a memory from another life and it spilled over to this one :) The recipe I found that sounded the best came from Crazy Horse Ghost and it was from her Grandmother so how can I go wrong with this one right? Now unfortunately the recipe is pretty vague besides giving you the ingredients and some directions. There was no recipe for the crust or how to actually make the crumb topping - And cook time was just until it was done. So we will have to do a trial and error with this one and it may not be the best for you beginner chefs. Ok here we go!
Ingredients
Simple Ingredients
The ingredients are old fashion which I love! Simple and quick for the most part. I had left over crumb topping from when I made my blueberry cake a few weeks ago that I froze so I took that out and this made the recipe that much faster to make. Our blackberries are not as juicy as I had hoped this year so this may be a little bit quicker to cook???
For the Pastry Shell (Pie shell - 9 inch)
1 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Shortening
1/4 Cup Very cold water
Or for those less inclined - one bought already made pie shell or frozen dough :)
For the Filling:
2 Cups Fresh Blackberries
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Self Rising Flour
2 large Eggs
2/3 Cups Evaporated Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
For the Crumb Topping:
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup self Rising flour (I used Regular)
1/4 Cup chilled butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla (optional I never use)
For the Pastry Shell (Pie shell - 9 inch)
1 Cup Flour
1/3 Cup Shortening
1/4 Cup Very cold water
Or for those less inclined - one bought already made pie shell or frozen dough :)
For the Filling:
2 Cups Fresh Blackberries
1 1/2 Cups Sugar
1/4 Cup Self Rising Flour
2 large Eggs
2/3 Cups Evaporated Milk
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
For the Crumb Topping:
1/2 Cup Sugar
1/3 Cup self Rising flour (I used Regular)
1/4 Cup chilled butter
1 teaspoon Vanilla (optional I never use)
Step 1 - Preparing the berries
Berries with flour and sugar
In a bowl combine the 1 1/2 cups sugar, 1/4 cup flour and blackberries. Mix together until berries are coated with the sugar and flour. Set this aside so that the berries can combine and sugar can draw out the juices of the blackberries.
Step 2 - Make the Pastry (Pie) shell
Making the pie crust
Ok for those ambitious enough to make your own crust, here is a pastry I have been using for years that is fail safe. If you bought a shell or are using frozen dough you can skip right to step 4. Put the 1 cup of flour in a bowl and cut in the shortening using a pastry blender. When the mix resembles pea size crumb, add the 1/4 cup cold water and mix with your hand until the mix combines and a ball of dough is born.
Step 3 - Rolling the dough
Rolling out the crust
Once your dough ball is made, you will need to roll the pastry into a circle shape that will fit the 9" pie dish you will be using in this recipe. Make sure your rolling surface and rolling pin are lightly dusted with flour to avoid sticking. Once your pie shell is rolled place it in the plate and crimp the edges.
Step 4 - Adding the berry mix to the pie shell
Berries in the shell
Once your shell is made (or if using a prepared shell you can just jump to this step) place the berry/flour/sugar mix right into pie shell and spread around evenly. There was quite a bit of loose flour and sugar still left so I just evenly spread it out in the pie shell.
Step 5 - Finishing the filling
Adding the egg mix
In the same bowl that the berries were in put the evaporated milk, eggs and vanilla in and mix until blended. Then take this and pour it slowly onto the berries in the pie shell. Be careful that you do not pour too fast as the egg mix will take a little while to soak into the berries. I did this in two parts and even stirred the berries around a bit to be able to add the remaining egg mix.
Step 6 - Making the crumb
Topping is coarse crumb
Yes I know it is the same photo I used when making the dough, but it is really the same idea. In a bowl add the flour and sugar together. Then cut in the chilled butter using a pastry blender until a coarse crumb is made. Like I mentioned above, I had some left over from another recipe so I just used this. Sprinkle this crumb on top of the berries so it covers it lightly. Once this is done it is time to bake.
Step 7 - Baking
Ready for the oven
Once the pie is assembled and crumb is sprinkled on top, bake in a pre heated 350 degree oven for 45-50 minutes or until the center of the pie is set and crust is golden brown. You can also test by inserting a knife in the center and if it comes out clean the custard is set. Allow the pie to cool and then chill for at least 4 hours. Serve and Enjoy! I can't wait to eat ours and see if it brings back the sweet memories from a by gone era ;) Happy Baking!!