3 Berry Pies That Honor Summer

Combine the blackberries, peaches and ½ cup of sugar in a large bowl. Mix well and let stand for 10 minutes. Mix the 3 tablespoons of sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; stir into the fruit along with the nutmeg, lemon juice and lemon zest.

Roll the other half of the dough into an 11-inch circle. Turn the filling into the pie shell and smooth the fruit with a spoon to even it out. Dot the fruit with the butter. Lightly moisten the rim of the pie shell.

Drape the top pastry over the filling, pressing along the edge to seal. Trim the overhang with scissors, leaving an even ^{½ to ¾} inch all around, then sculpt the edge into an upstanding ridge. Flute or crimp the edge, as desired. Poke several steam vents in the top of the pie with a large fork or paring knife. Put a couple of the vents near the edge so you can check the juices. Lightly brush the pie with milk and sprinkle with sugar.

Put the pie on the prepared baking sheet and bake on the lower oven rack for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 375°F and move the pie up to the middle rack, rotating the pie 180 degrees. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes longer, until the juices thickly bubble at the steam vents.

Transfer the pie to a rack and cool for at least 2 hours before serving, garnished with ice cream. Cover and refrigerate leftovers after 24  hours.

Tip: This is a very juicy pie. Use a deep pie pan and leave at least ½ to ¾ inch of headroom between the top of the filling and the rim of the pan to minimize the chance of a spillover.

Strawberry Streusel

This summery treat comes from the Four & Twenty Blackbirds pie bakery in Brooklyn, New York. ​​

Ingredients

For pie filling:

• Pie dough for one 9-inch single-crust pie, fitted to pie pan and crimped as desired
• 4 to 6 cups strawberries, rinsed, tops removed and quartered (about 2 lbs.)
• 3 tablespoons plus ¼ cup granulated sugar, divided
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• ¼ cup ground arrowroot (or 3 tablespoons cornstarch)
• 3 grinds fresh black pepper, fine setting (one pinch ground pepper)
• ½ teaspoon salt

For streusel topping

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 4 teaspoons granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes, at room temperature

Directions

Have ready and refrigerated one pastry-lined 9-inch pie pan, edges crimped as desired.

Sprinkle 3 tablespoons of granulated sugar over the prepared strawberries. Stir gently to combine and allow to macerate at room temperature for 30 minutes to one hour.

Meanwhile, make the streusel topping. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar and salt. Add the butter pieces and use your fingertips to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until it is incorporated and there is no dry flour remaining. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Position the oven racks in the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack and preheat to 400°F.

Mix together the remaining ¼ cup white sugar, brown sugar, ground arrowroot, black pepper and salt in a separate bowl and stir well to combine.

Drain the strawberries of excess liquid, then add the balsamic vinegar. Combine with the dry ingredients, folding gently to combine.

Pour the strawberry filling into the pie shell. Spread streusel topping evenly over the top.

Place the pie on the preheated baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until pastry is set and beginning to brown. Lower the oven heat to 350 degrees, move the pie to the center oven rack and continue to bake until the pastry and streusel are golden brown and the juices are bubbling throughout, 40-50 minutes longer.

Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing, 2 to 3 hours. The pie will keep refrigerated for 5 days or at room temperature for 2 days.

Blueberry Streusel Slab Pie With Shortbread Crust

This is a fast and easy treat to make after a day of berry picking, especially since no rolling pin is required. You can also use frozen fruit in a pinch. This recipe comes from Pie Squared by Cathy Barrow and it’s reprinted with permission from Grand Central Publishing.​

​​Make Ahead: The crust may be pressed into the pan and refrigerated one day ahead, until ready to bake. The streusel may be made one day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.

Shortbread Crust:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ⅓ cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 1½ cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt

Filling:

• 1 pound blueberries, picked over, stems and green berries discarded
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• juice of 1 lemon

Streusel:

• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup rolled (not instant) oats
• 2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
• ⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cubed and chilled
• ⅓ cup toasted pecans, chopped

Directions

For the crust:

Using a stand mixer, hand mixer or strong wooden spoon, beat the butter and sugar until smooth, light and fluffy, about 5 minutes with the stand mixer. Add the egg yolk and beat until fully incorporated. Add the flour and salt and stir until a crumbly dough is formed.

Dump the dough into the slab pie pan and, with pieces no larger than a walnut, press the dough up the sides and well into the corners of the pan before worrying about the bottom. Use a metal cup measure or a flat-bottomed glass to press the remaining dough as uniformly as possible to an approximate ¼-inch thickness. Decorate the top edge using a table knife, fork or another tool, making slight indentations all the way around. Chill the crust for at least 20 minutes.

Heat the oven to 350°F; if you have one, place a baking stone or inverted baking sheet on the center rack to heat.

For the filling:

Gently stir the berries, sugar, cornstarch, nutmeg and lemon juice together in a large bowl. Scrape the berry filling into the chilled crust.

For the streusel: 

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Pinch in the butter, mixing it with the dry ingredients until the streusel resembles coarse meal. Stir in the pecans. Scatter the streusel mixture evenly across the filling. Slide the pie into the oven (on top of the steel, stone or baking sheet if using) and bake until the edges are slightly browned and the filling is bubbling, 25 to 35 minutes.

This pie is best eaten warm, the day it is made, but if wrapped well it will reheat for a superb breakfast. Try it with a spoonful of plain yogurt on the side.