A Very Berry Summer

Theres no better way to celebrate the official start of summer than with some fabulous desserts. Yesterday I made a mixed berry pie (my first time making a homemade pie I might add) and I am so proud of it! I found the original recipe on allrecipes.com but made a couple changes. It was actually much easier than I expected! 

Heres my recipe:

For the double crust:

2 cups flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2/3 butter (in place of shortening)

5 teaspoons ice cold water 

The berry filling:

1 cup halved strawberries

1 cup blueberries

1 cup blackberries

1 cup raspberries

1/2 cup white sugar

3 teaspoons flour

Combine the flour and salt. Using a pastry blender, cut in the shortening until the pieces are the size of small peas. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of the water over part of the mixture, then gently toss with a fork. Push moistened portion to the side of the bowl. Repeat, using 1 tablespoon of water at a time, until all is moistened. Divide the dough in half. Form each half into a balls. 

Transfer one piece of dough to a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough from the center to the edges to the size of your pie dish. Wrap the crust around the rolling pin. Unroll it onto a 9-inch pie plate. Ease the crust into the pie plate, being careful not to stretch it. Trim the bottom crust evenly with the rim of the pie plate.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar and 3 teaspoons flour. Add in the berries gently toss until berries are coated. Allow fruit mixture to stand for about 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Roll out the remaining pastry for the top crust. Stir the berry mixture and pour the filling into the pastry-lined pie plate. You can either Place the top crust over the pie and trim the edges, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the top crust under the bottom crust, pressing lightly to seal. Crimp the edges of the crust and cut vents in the top to allow steam to escape. To prevent over-browning, cover the edge of the pie with foil.

* * feel free to be creative with this step, I cut my top crust into strips and woven them. I've also seen people use cookie cutter to make cute designs in their top crust.* *

Bake in the preheated oven on the baking tray for 25 minutes. Remove the foil.

Bake for an additional 20 to 30 minutes, or until the filling is bubbling and the crust is golden. Cool on a wire rack.