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Black & Blue Crumble-Top Pie

By Ashley English, Small Measure

The key to ensuring that the juices in this pie set up once baked is two-fold. Firstly, there’s a bit of cornstarch or arrowroot added to aid in thickening. Secondly, once combined, the berry mixture is gently macerated with the back of a spoon and then left to sit for 15 minutes. As the juices interact with the sweetener, the sugar begins pulling the water out of the berries, and into the sugar itself, which is just where you, the baker, want it to be!

Makes:  One 9-inch pie.

You Will Need:
1/2 recipe Basic Pie Dough (recipe follows)

Filling:
2 cups blueberries
4 cups blackberries
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Zest of one lemon
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Pinch of sea salt

Crumble Topping: 
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, cubed
1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 tsp sea salt

To Make:
Prepare the crust:

1. Remove one dough disk from the refrigerator.
2. Roll out the dough into a 12-inch circle.
3. Fit it into a 9-inch baking pan.
4. Trim the overhang to 1-inch.
5. Crimp the edges decoratively.
6. Place the crust in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Prepare the filling:

1. Place the blueberries, blackberries, sugar, arrowroot or cornstarch, lemon zest, cinnamon, and sea salt in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
2. Stir together with a spoon until well combined. Mash the berries gently with the back of the spoon to release their juices.
3. Cover the bowl with a kitchen cloth and leave to sit for 15 minutes.

Prepare the crumble topping:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Combine the flour, salt, brown sugar, and butter in a medium-size mixing bowl.
3. Crumble together with either your hands or with a pastry cutter, leaving pea-sized chunks of butter in the mixture. Set aside.

Assemble the pie:

1. Pour the blueberry filling into the chilled piecrust.
2. Sprinkle the crumble topping evenly across the surface, packing down as needed to accommodate the entire amount of the mixture.
3. Bake at 400 degrees 40-45 minutes, until the topping is golden brown. 
4. Cool at least 1-2 hours before serving.

Basic Pie Dough
Makes: Crust for one double-crust pie.

You Will Need:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/4 tsp salt
1 cup butter (2 sticks), chilled and cubed
3/4 cup ice water

To Make:

1. Mix the flour and salt together in a medium-large mixing bowl.
2. Using a pastry cutter or two forks, incorporate the butter until the mixture resembles a coarse meal (you should still have rather large bits of butter when you're done).
3. Slowly drizzle in the ice water. Stir with a mixing spoon until the dough starts to clump.
4. Transfer the dough onto a floured work surface, and fold it together into itself using your hands. The dough should come together easily but should not feel overly sticky.
5. Cut the dough in half and shape into two balls. Wrap each dough ball in cellophane and refrigerate for at least an hour.
6. Proceed according to the pie recipe instructions above.