Holiday Berry Pie

Holiday Berry Pie

• • • 2 prepared pie crusts (my recipe for All Butter PerfectPie Crust)

    • 12 ounces cranberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

    • 12 ounces blueberries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

    • 12 ounces pitted sweet black cherries, fresh or frozen (thawed)

    • 1 cup light brown sugar

    • 1/3 cup corn starch

    • 1/2 cup orange juice

    • Zest of 1 orange

    • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

    • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

    • 1/4 teaspoon cloves

    • 1/4 teaspoon salt

    • 1 teaspoon vanilla

    • 1 tablespoon flour, plus extra for rolling

    • 1 egg, plus 1 teaspoon water

    • Coarse Turbinado sugar

    • Decorative pie crust cutters

Prepare the pie dough and refrigerate until ready to use, taking it out of the fridge about 10-15 minutes before you need to roll it out.

In a large sauce pan, combine the cranberries, blueberries, cherries, brown sugar, corn starch, orange juice, orange zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and salt. Simmer over medium low heat until juicy, stirring occasionally. Raise heat to medium and bring to a boil, stirring constantly; once it boils, boil for 1-2 minutes until thick enough to coat a spoon. Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla. Set aside to cool for 30 minutes to an hour, or overnight.

Preheat the oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil. Roll out one disk of pie dough so that it can fit into a deep-dish pie pan with one inch overhang. Sprinkle the bottom of the dough with a tablespoon of flour (to prevent a soggy crust). Spoon the warm filling into the dough. If desired, dot the filling with a few tablespoons of diced butter. Trim the edges of the dough with a knife and crimp the edge with your fingers.

Roll out the other disk of dough to 1/4 inch thick. Using a decorative pie crust cutter (or small cookie cutter), cut shapes and place all over the top of the fruit filling, leaving some gaps so that steam can escape. Beat the egg and water together with a fork, then use a pastry brush to brush the egg wash over the dough cutouts and the edge (to help it brown). Sprinkle the dough with a little coarse Turbinado sugar, so it sparkles.

Place the pie pan on the foil-lined baking sheet and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden brown. Halfway through baking, check the crust and cover with foil, if needed, to prevent overbrowning. Cool pie on a wire rack at room temperature for at least 5-6 hours, or overnight, before cutting, to ensure filling is completely set.

Recipe from Curly Girl Kitchen