Although I've been making pies every week, my updating has been pretty sub-pare because of traveling, work, and some other projects. Maybe you've noticed...
But it's finally time to get current!
(Sorry. Dumb pun.)
I made this pie back in July and up until that point, I had never eaten a red currant before. However, I kept seeing currants at the farmers market and I fell in love with their deep color. I just think they look delicate and delicious--like little red pearls. And while they are unfortunately too perishable for jewelry, they do make a delicious pie, especially when coupled with raspberries.
The filling was sour, and the currant seeds were chewy, which were a welcomed texture. I was worried about how seedy this filling might become and that it might just taste like jam, but instead, the currants were like little explosions of juice and a welcomed treat with every bite.
Currants are available in July (at least here in New York) so if you are planning on making this pie this year, I'm giving this to you a little too late (sorry). But if you are holding on to this recipe for next July, here's a little tip I learned about getting the currants off of the stems without squishing them:
When they are slightly frozen, they are much easier to remove from their stems. Freeze them for about 1/2 hour and once they are solid, gently tug them from the stem (in fact, you can kind of just run your fingers down the stem and pop them off into a bowl rather than pick each one).
Raspberry Currant Pie
1 double pie crust
FILLING:
3 1/2 cups red raspberries
2 1/2 cups red currants, stemmed
1 1/4 cups sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on the top crust
5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca flakes
1 tablespoon fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cubed
DIRECTIONS:
Roll out the pastry and line a 9-inch pie tin with the bottom crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust. Cut tiny currant-sized circles (vent holes) in the rolled-out top crust with a cake decorating cone tip. Re-chill the pastry if necessary.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
Sort through the berries and currants to remove any stems and duds. Put them in a bowl and add the sugar, tapioca, and lemon juice. Mix the fruit very gently, scrape it into the bottom crust, and dot the filling with the butter. Lay the top crust over the pie. Trim and crimp the crust; chill the pie for 10 minutes in the freezer. Sprinkle the crust lightly with sugar
Bake the pie on a lipped baking sheet for 10 minutes or until the crust looks dry, blistered, and blond. Turn the oven down to 375 F, and bake for at least 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden brown and visible juices are thickened and bubble slowly through the slits in the top crust.
Cool the pie completely before cutting, at least a few hours. Serve it at room temperature. Store the pie uncovered at room temperature up to 3 days.
This, my friends, is the new winner of 2010. Ryan and I both agree that it's one of the best, if not the best, that we've had all year (and that's saying a lot from people who have eaten more than 23 pies this year).
I was skeptical of the blueberry and rhubarb combo, but after the first taste, I realized I was SO wrong. As far as blueberries go, I love to eat them with some type of lemon accompaniment. I love their sweetness coupled with a little bit of tang and I had underestimated how wonderful the tangiest of all pie fillings: rhubarb, would accompany these blueberries. It was brilliant. And, if you don't mind me saying, far superior to any of those strawberry rhubarb combos.
And then on top of that...don't you love the name?
That was probably one of the only reasons that I made this pie to begin with. But I'm pleasently surprised that a perfect pun accompanies such a perfect pie.
Honestly, I really don't know what else to say. This pie is a winner. The crust is simple, yet (and excuse me for using this word again) perfectly paired with the flavor and texture of the filling.
It's blue ribbon bluebarb, my friends. It's going to be hard to top this one.
Bluebarb Pie
(adapted from "Bubby's Homemade Pies")
All-Butter Crust
5 to 6 tablespoons ice cold water
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
11 to 12 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Filling:
3 cups Blueberries, Sorted and cleaned
3 cups (1 1/2 pound) rhubarb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on the top crust
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 lemon, zested and juiced
Pinch salt
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
For the crust: Measure out the flour (unsifted) by leveling off dry measuring cups, and add the flour to the large bowl. Add the salt to the flour and give it a quick stir to combine evenly.
Use cold butter, measure out the amount you need, cut into small cubes and add to the flour. Break up any pieces that stick together and toss them all to coat them with flour. (If it is a warm day, chill this mixture briefly in the freezer before continuing.)
Using a pastry cutter, press the blades through the mixture, bearing down repeatedly like you would to mash potatoes. Repeat the gesture until the largest pieces of fat are the size of shelling peas and the smallest are the size of lentils (none smaller). Re chill if necessary.
Add water and toss to coat the small balls of butter. Use your hands to mold the dough into a ball. Sprinkle more water on the top if it is crumbly. Spilt ball into two and form two discs. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
For the filling: Preheat the oven to 450F
In a large bowl, combine the blueberries, rhubarb, sugar, flour, zest, juice, salt, and melted butter. Lightly toss the fruit and filling ingredients and set aside.
Roll out the bottom pastry and line a 9-inch pie plate with the bottom crust. Roll out the remaining dough for the top crust. Re chill the pastry if necessary.
Scrape the filling into the bottom crust and cover it with the second crust. Trim and crimp the crust; chill the pie for 10 minutes in the freezer. Cut vent slits in top crust (unless you are a rebel like me and make a lattice crust) and sprinkle it lightly with sugar. This pie is particularly beautiful if small round vent holes are stamped in the top crust--when the blueberry juice spills out, it looks like a blueberry.
Bake the pie on a lipped baking sheet for 10 minutes, or until the crust looks dry, blistered, and blond. Turn the oven down to 375F, and bake for at last 30 minutes more, or until the crust is golden brown and visible juices are thickened and bubble slowly through slits in the top crust.
Cool the pie completely before cutting, at least a few hours. Serve it at room temperature. Store the pie uncovered at room temperature, up to 3 days (if it lasts that long).
And by late I mean 8:30, the time normal people go out, but after a day of biking around the city, I was a little tired so it felt like at least 11:00.
But any way, I went to the grocery store to pick up items for the All Red party we were going to on Sunday night (I had volunteered to bring a "red" pie), among other important sundries.
Here's the grocery store situation for us:We are right in the middle of 3 mediocre "grocery stores".
All of them has something that I buy on a regular basis. None of them has everything. Produce, in general, is pretty sad at all three, though sometimes they have what you need, on sale, and in lovely condition. I guess that's what keeps me going back and the fact that any other "real" grocery store necessitates a 20 minute walk or a subway ride, which isn't bad, in fact I often do it, but when I feel a little tired I like to risk the prices and the perkiness of these sub pare produce sections.
Surprise #1: Though a very common pie, I realized while I was making it that maybe I've never even tasted one before. So...I don't really know what a meringue is supposed to taste like except maybe airy and crispy (but maybe not, since that assumption is derived from a dessert my mom made LONG AGO)?
Surprise #2: This shouldn't be a surprise because each and every time I make candy (or something similar to candy) I forget that:
sugar + moisture + high heat = an enormous amount of bubbling
Why do I ALWAYS put that combination in too small of a pan? And why am I surprised when it boils over?Surprise #3: Besides that whole sugar boiling over fiasco this was a much easier pie to make than I anticipated. Amazingly the meringue was forgiving enough to come to life after all of those crispy spoonfuls of sugar I mixed in there also I was happy with how it looked; it was kind of like a pie of peeps, which seemed pretty appropriate for Easter.
Surprise #4: The real Easter surprise was finding out that lemon meringue pie is quit heavenly. I thought that the flavors went well together. I liked the crispy edge and the brown sugar flavor of the meringue. And as far as the main attraction goes--the lemons--I loved the how the filling blended with the creamy meringue.
I would say that the crust was the only thing that didn't really leave me in some delightful state of awe. Based solely on taste, it was good. The lip of the crust had a great flavor and flake, but the bottom was mushy (which is never good). In retrospect, I should have par-baked it for a few extra minutes without the beans and parchment paper...maybe 10-15 minutes more?
Let me know what happens if you try this crust, but for now I'm still a little baffled by that sogginess...
This is the first strawberry pie I've made. I've always liked the idea of strawberry pies (because I love strawberries), and I've ordered it more than probably any other pie, but I only remember having it one or two times where I actually really liked it. In fact, I've had so many bad ones that it's almost turned me off from strawberry pie altogether.
I think that there are two parts that really make or break a strawberry pie for me: 1-the freshness of the strawberries, and 2-the gel/jam that keeps the strawberries together.
So, despite my past experiences with unfavorable strawberry pies, I thought I'd give it a go because we wanted to start out Spring the right way...with a little bit of fruit. (We made this on March 21. Blogger is just giving me a lot of grief the past week, sorry it's taken so long for me to post it.)
I was interested in this pie particularly because of the chocolate crust, I thought that might add a good twist, and it did. I liked the chocolate and the strawberries together. The chocolate is rich and in some way just kind of tastes like eating spoon fulls of chocolate dipped strawberries (that can't be all bad, right), but it felt like it needed something else.
Also, the strawberries were good and the gel was more like a jam, which I was very happy about (I hate eating thick gel substances). I'm not sure I loved the balsamic vinegar in the jam. It didn't take away from the strawberries, but I'm not convinced that it made it better.As far as the crème fraîche goes, I wasn't a fan...I though it tasted good alone, but in the end I wanted to eat my pie with vanilla ice cream more than with the crème fraîche. Truth be told I wanted my pie crust and strawberry filling as toppings for my vanilla ice cream not the other way around, which doesn't say much for the pie or doesn't say much about how refined my tastes are. The reviews go something like this: Kim Gardner (my friend who was visiting from out of town) said she liked it a lot (though, I don't believe she had seconds, which is a true sign of liking something...isn't it?).
Ryan thought it was okay but wouldn't have me make it again.
I had seconds and thirds, because I loved the strawberry chocolate combination (with vanilla ice cream, of course), but it wasn't good enough that I want to make it anytime soon. However, I must say, it is definitely one of the best strawberry pies I've had though it's not the end-all of strawberry pie recipes. I still like the idea of delicious crusts and strawberries mixed together, but it makes me wonder if strawberry pies just need to be reinvented altogether.
But I think that quest will just have to wait until next spring...
Crème Fraîche:Combine the cream and buttermilk (but not the sugar) in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and place it in a warm (70F to 80F) spot, such as the top of the refrigerator. Allow it to sit, undisturbed overnight or until thickened but still pourable. Chill it and it will become the consistency of sour cream
To use, add 1 tablespoon sugar for each cup of crème fraîche needed and whisk lightly by hand. Sweeten only the portion you plan to serve immediately.
Chocolate Crumb Crust: In a medium bowl, combine the crumbs, chocolate shavings, and salt (if using). Pour the butter over them. The butter will melt the chocolate into the chocolate crumbs. Stir well.
Press this mixture into a 9-inch pie pan, distributing the crumbs to form an 1/8-inch thick crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 350F. Cool completely before adding strawberries. Strawberry Filling: To make the glaze, put the strawberries (use any especially ugly ones here in the sauce), orange juice, and zest in a saucepan over low heat. Simmer for 5 minutes and then mash the berries with the back of a spoon. Simmer the mixture on low, uncovered, for 15 minutes more, until the sauce resembles a saucy jam.
Combine the sugar and cornstarch in a bowl and whisk in the water gradually until smooth. Add this to the sauce and cook, stirring constantly, simmering over medium heat 1 to 2 minutes until it is boiling very lightly. When the opacity goes out of the sauce, and it looks shiny and steamy, remove it from the heat and whisk in the vinegar and salt. Chill the sauce until it is cool to the touch but not cold. (The temperature is important—the fresh strawberries will release lots of juice if they contact a hot or even warm sauce, and you'll get strawberry soup, not strawberry pie. If the sauce gets overly cold, it's hard to fold in the berries.)
Clean and trim the strawberries (if they are small, leave them whole; if they are large, halve or quarter them). Fold them into the cool sauce and pour it all into the chilled crust. The consistency will be quite thick. Chill for 2 hours to let it set up before serving.
Serve the pie cold with Crème Fraîche. This pie is best the day it is made, but can still be served the next day. Keep it refrigerated, loosely covered with plastic wrap.
Well, I'm glad you asked. I've been wondering the same thing...
The definition of a chess pie is somewhat simple: it's a Southern pie that includes buttermilk and cornmeal on the ingredient list, although no one really seems to know from whence the name derived. These, however, are some of my favorite theories:
-It's a Southern pie and in a shy southern accent "Oh, it's just pie" sounds like, "Aw, it's chess pie."
-It was popular back when ice chests had just come into fashion, so people called it "chest pie," but again, that tricky southern accent got in the way so it sounded like, "chess pie."
-Some recipes may or may not have include cheese, which, you guessed it, sounds like, "chess pie" in a southern accent instead of "cheese pie."
What's that? You're so happy to finally know?
Well...good. I'm so happy that I was able to help you with that.
ANNNYway...
I keep coming across different recipes for chess pies and I've been really interested to try one. the one drawback about this pie is that I've never had a chess pie before so I really don't know what they're "supposed" to taste like.
Also, I didn't realize that this pie would be so much like pudding. I expected something a little more like a classic lemon bar. So, in case you have a similar expectation, let me tell you: think lemon pudding, not lemon bar.
This recipe includes curd on the top (which seems to be unusual for chess pies, from what I've read), but that extra ting of lemon really gave this pie a good taste.
Nonetheless, I was very happy about the taste of this pie. Lemon is one of my favorite flavors for all things savory and sweet and as a whole, this pie had just enough pucker for me to be pleased.
While I was cooking the pie, I thought about not even making the lemon curd (since it wasn't really like a typical for a chess pie), and then I thought I should just make it and just serve it on the side if people wanted it. Any way, at last minute (i.e. several hours before I served it), I decided to just put it on the top like the recipe called for and I'm so glad I did. I don't think that the pie would have been as good without it.
Also, just to note, I didn't think that this pie crust was great. What's surprising to me is that it's similar to so many crusts that I've already used but it was pretty bland. It's like there wasn't enough sugar or salt to make it interesting. So, I would recommend taking the tablespoon of sugar out and increasing the salt just a little bit; however, please notice that the recipe is written like I made it.
Double Lemon Chess Pie
(adapted from Bubby's Pie Book)
All-Butter Crust
5 Tablespoons ice cold water
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon sugar
8 tablespoons butter
Chess Filling
2 cups sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
5 large eggs
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1/3 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice
2 lemons, zested
Lemon Curd
3/4 Cup sugar
¼ cup egg yolks (about 4)
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup fresh squeezed lemon juice
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons lemon zest
For the crust:
Using a pastry cutter, press the blades through the mixture, and cut butter until it resembles coarse meal. Add water until it combines to form a ball. Form into a disk and chill for at least 30 minutes before rolling out.
Roll out on a well-floured surface into a 12-inch round. Transfer to pie pan and make sure that all edges drape over the edges. Trim edges and fold to create a decorative lip along the edge of the pan.
Make sure to keep crust cool while preparing the filling.
For Chess Filling:
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
With an electric mixer, cream the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and cream; beat well.
In a small bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, and salt, add them to the butter mixture, and mix just until incorporated. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix briefly. Pour the filling into the pie shell.
Bake the pie on a lipped baking sheet for 40 to 45 minutes, until the top is a pale golden brown and the center is only a wee bit loose.
Cool the pie on a cooling rack for 20 minutes before refrigerating. Chill completely before topping the filling with Lemon Curd. Use an offset pastry spatula to distribute it evenly, stopping just shy of the pastry crust. Chill for at least 4 hours and serve cold and plain.
For the Curd:
In a heavy, non-reactive saucepan beat the sugar and yolks until well blended. Then stir in the butter, juice, and salt and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes until it thickly coats the back of a wooden spoon but is still liquid enough to pour. The mixture will change color from translucent to opaque. When ever steam appears, remove the pan briefly from the heat, stirring constantly, to keep it from boiling. It must not be allowed to boil or the eggs will curdle
When the curd has thickened, pour it at once through a fine-mesh strainer. Press with the back of a spoon until only coarse residue remains. Discard the residue. Stir in the lemon zest and pour it into an airtight container. The curd will continue to thicken while resting and chilling. Curd can be stored tightly covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 month.
I've been wanting to make this pie for two weeks, but because of some unforeseeable busyness and a bout of sickness, I didn't actually get a chance to make this pie until this week. I am, however, glad I waited. After all those busy days and sick nights, I needed a serious dessert, and this hit the spot.
I've had a few people recommend pies or give me tips since starting this blog and since I haven't written back to some of you (so sorry!) let me just take this moment to say thanks. I've got quiet a list of pies to work through this year, but I am always open to "Piedeas" (as one reader called them).
On that note, I should tell you that this recipe came from my good friend, KT, who lives all the way across the country. KT and I were in a band together (KT was her "band name," which sounded tougher than Karren Louise). She was on the keyboard and I was on drums. We rocked. And by rocked, I mean we took ourselves really seriously until KT broke up the band and decided that business school was more important to her life than "The Orange Tommies."
As it turns out, she was right. I must say, she's always right (at least I can't think of when she's been wrong). So when she told me that this pie was THE. BEST. CHOCOLATE. CREAM. PIE. SHE'S. EVER. HAD. PERIOD.
I had to try it.
And you know what? She was right again.
The chocolate pudding is decadent (I had to monitor the fridge so it didn't all get eaten before I put it in the crust). It will make your head spin, so proceed with caution unless you've had a rough week need a good chocolate wallop to make you feel better. Oh, and did I mention that the pudding is even easier than opening up a box of Jell-o? Well, it is. And it tastes about 100 times better too.
I fudged (no pun intended) on the crust a little bit. Again, I just wanted to make it from scratch, so I've included the chocolate wafer recipe that I used and the way I made the crust, but follow the link to the original recipe if you want to do it that way.
I must say, however, that I was really happy with how my crust turned out. It held together very well for a crumb crust and it had just the right crunch to chewiness ratio for me.
We shared it with a few friends and all described it thus:
1-Rich
2-Creamy
3-Good crust
4-Delicious!
So there you have it. KT is always right, but try it yourself, the proof is in the pudding...literally.
Chocolate Wafers:
(adapted from Bubby's Homemade Pies)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa
11/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons (1 ½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt; set aside. With an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla and mix until incorporated. On low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients, mixing well after each addition. Shape the dough into a 2-inch-diameter log. Wrap it well and chill completely—at least two hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Slice the dough into 1/8-inch slices and place them 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets. Bake them for 8 to 10 minutes, until they smell good and remain firm when lifted with a spatula.
Cool the cookies on a wire rack, uncovered, overnight or until they are completely dry and wafer-like.
Us a food processor to crumb the cookies or put the cookies in a resealable plastic bag and press the air out before sealing. Roll over the bag of cookies with a rolling pin until they form fine crumbs.
Chocolate Cream Pie
(Adapted from Gourmet Magazine 2004)
Crust:
2 cups chocolate wafer crumbs
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate, chopped
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/4 cup sugar
Filling: 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 large egg yolks
3 cups whole milk
5 oz fine-quality bittersweet chocolate (not unsweetened), chopped
2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
Topping:
1 pint chilled heavy cream
1/4 cup sugar
Directions:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
Stir together crumbs, chocolate, and sugar. Pour hot melted butter over the top and combine (The butter will melt the chocolate). Firmly press onto the bottom and sides of a 9-inch pie pan. Bake for 15 minutes and before cooling on rack, use the back of a spoon to press the hot crust back up the sides of the pan. Cool completely.
Whisk together sugar, cornstarch, salt, and yolks in a 3-quart heavy saucepan until combined well, then add milk in a stream, whisking. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking, 1 minute (filling will be thick).
Force filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, then whisk in chocolates, butter, and vanilla. The pudding should still be warm hot enough to melt the chocolate. Cover surface of filling with plastic wrap (make sure there are no air bubbles between the pudding and the plastic wrap) and cool completely, about 2 hours.
Spoon filling into crust and chill pie, loosely covered, at least 6 hours.
Just before serving, beat cream in a bowl using an electric mixer until it just holds stiff peaks add vanilla and sugar and spoon on top of pie.
Sprinkle chocolate flakes on top of pie (optional).
Okay, first things first, I don't believe in eating things that are out of season.
Even if the fanciest grocery store is selling watermelon in February I don't buy it because of principle (and price and taste...but mostly principle).
This new philosophy in my life came the day I cracked open the pages of the Omnivore's Dilemma. In a way, it's really screwed things up for me by prompting me to get to the farmer's market week after week to partake of their summer harvest, and has even stretched me to love beets and any other winter vegetable I can find during January and February. Not as easy as just buying what's at the store (but tastier).
Any way, why am I telling you this?
Because I believe that food tastes better and is better for you when it's not shipped from Guatalawherever or grown in some hormone-injected fruit factory.
That's something I've been meaning to say for awhile now for many reasons, but mostly because I wanted to explain why I've been making creamy/custard/chocolate pies instead of fruit pies: It's not that they're in season, but technically, they're not out of season.
In any case, I feel like I have to push my beliefs out on the forefront of this post because of this: A Strawberry Rhubarb pie when neither are in season? What's that all about?
Here's the thing, I'm making these pies for my husband...and it was Valentine's Day...and you know what his favorite pie is? Rhubarb pie
So when I found frozen rhubarb in the freezer section of my new supermarket, I got a little excited about a frozen fruit experiment...and it didn't hurt that it was a lovely color of red too.
And so I give you: (frozen) Strawberry (and frozen) Rhubarb pie.
Or as Ryan called it: "The Jamba Juice Pie" which, if you think about it, is appropriately named. It tangy, it's fruity, it tastes like summer, and at some point, it was frozen.
Oh, and did I mention? The experiment worked. It was delicious. Strawberry Rhubarb Pie (adapted to accommodate frozen fruit for those winter months when you need something a little different)
Filling: 3 cups frozen strawberries (slightly thawed and halved or thickly sliced) 3 cups cut rhubarb (slightly thawed) 1 cup sugar 5 tablespoons flour 1 1/2 teaspoons orange zest 1/8 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened butter, cold and cut into pieces 1 tablespoon sugar, to dust top
Bubby's Butter & Shortening Crust (8-10 Inch Double Crust) 6 Tablespoons ice cold water 2 cups all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon salt 7 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter 4 Tablespoons cold shortening
Directions Measure out the water for the crust and chill it in the freezer while preparing the rest of the crust.
Measure out the flour (un-sifted) by leveling off dry measuring cups, and add the flour to large bowl. Add the salt to the flour and give it a quick stir to combine evenly.
Cut cold butter and cold shortening into cubes and add to flour mixture. Coat butter and shortening with flour and with a pastry cutter, cut it into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal.
Add cold water and use hands to form the dough into a two balls or disks. Chill for 1 hour or overnight.
When dough is chilled, Pre-heat oven to 475 degrees.
Run frozen fruit under warm water to partially thaw fruit and drain all excess water. If needed, slice the rhubarb and strawberries and place in large bowl.
Cover the fruit with the sugar, flour, zest and salt. Toss lightly and be careful of mashing or breaking the fruit chunks but also separate any fruit that may still be frozen together.
Roll out 1 dough disk in to a 10-inch round and line your 9-inch pie dish with it.
Place the mixture into the pie pan. Dot the pie with the butter slices. Roll out top crust and cover pie filling with top crust, crimping the tops and bottoms so that the pie is well sealed. If not using a lattice crust cut steam vents into the pie.
Brush the top crust with milk and dust with the sugar.
Place the pie on a jelly roll to catch drippings. Bake the pie for 10 minutes or until the top crust appears dry and lightly blistered.
Reduce the cooking heat to 350 degrees. Bake an additional 50-60 minutes (or if using fresh fruit 30-40 minutes) or until the fruit mixture thickly bubbles in the middle of the pie. Pie crust should be golden and flaky.
