More love talking ....

This time love is spelled P-I-E!

My husband really enjoys fruit pies, but I am not a confident pie maker even after all these years of marriage and my supposed genetic predisposition to practically perfect pies, so it's a pretty rare treat around here!

You can make this pie even if you don't have the 'pie gene' - I am living proof. I was supposed to inherit the gene from my Mum, but it must have skipped a generation or something. My Nanny made excellent pies and so does my Mum. I hope Mum will share her pie making tips with us some day soon! For Mum, the expression 'as easy as pie' is an everyday reality! Anyway - this pie was a labor of love, and very well received!

Bumble Berry Pie

2 cups red fresh raspberries
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
3 cups fresh blueberries
1 3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
4 Tablespoons ClearJel (cornstarch based pie thickener - we buy it in the bulk but you can get it from King Arthur)
2 tsp. minute tapioca
2 tsp. cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 unbaked double crust pie shell well chilled - your own or store bought

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line a 1o" deep pie plate ( glass is best) with pastry. Sprinkle with dry tapioca (to prevent soggy crust issues) and place in fridge. Combine fruit, sugar, lemon juice and ClearJel and stir until well mixed. Don't fret if the berries break up a bit. Spread evenly in chilled pie shell and dot with butter lumps. Dampen edges of pie crust with a finger dipped in milk or water. Place pie top on top. Seal edges well and crimp. Cut vents using a knife or tiny cookie cutter. Brush the top with cold milk and sprinkle a bit of coarse sugar on top 'for pretty'. Work quickly if your kitchen is warm - baking the pastry chilled results in nice flaky pie crust!

TURN OVEN DOWN to 350 degrees F. Place pie in the center of your oven with a foil lined drip pan on the rack below - this is important or you will hate me and want me to come and clean out your oven for you!!! I think I'll be busy that day. Bake about an hour - the best part about a clear glass pie pan is that you can look at the bottom and see if it is nice and brown ( baked) or kind of a sickly gray color ( not baked). The juices will be bubbling and look thick and glossy. This is a lovely looking pie, but tastes just as yummy as it looks! Remove from oven and cool at least 3 hours before cutting, unless you really like 'pie soup'! We've had 'pie soup' because we were too impatient, and believe me - it still spells l-o-v-e!

Did you see this tiny wee pie peaking out from behind the big pie?
I used a smidgen of pastry and about a cup of the berries
from our pie for a sweet treat for Mr. Neighbor.
When I took it through the 'cookie path' to him, he was so pleased.
Men really do seem to like pie!
I collect tiny pie glass pie plates to make little treats for him - meat pies, shepherd's pie and such.
It's getting harder to find little ones like this, so others must be collecting them too!

I have to thank my friend Kelli for giving me the courage to put my hand to fruit pie making again! Her beautiful pies looked so yummy! Kelli was the one who got me all inspired with her recent blueberry pie post reminding me of how much my family loves fruit pies! She linked to Ruthann's Recipe for a butter crust that I just had to try. It was very easy and yummy - very buttery, and I had a delightful time touring around Ruthann's wonderful blog - what an inspiration!

So there you have it! Go forth and make pies! It may not be 'as easy as pie' the first time, but I can attest - it gets easier each time! I'm going to try to put 6 fruit pies in the freezer before the berry season ends! Maybe then I'll feel like it's as easy as pie!