Preheat oven to 350 degrees F., rack in the middle position.
Hannah’s 1st Note: Winnie told me to decide which top I wanted to have on my Fresh Blackberry Pie before I started. There are THREE ways to top your pie.
The Latticework Crust on top (like the one pictured on the cover) takes the most time and is the most difficult to do. Written instructions are confusing. There is a lattice cutter that you can order from cooking catalogues. That looks nice, but it’s not woven. You can also use my friend Trudi’s shortcut. She cuts little leaves out of piecrust and arranges them in lines that crisscross on top of her pies. If you choose to do a lattice top, you will need two rounds of piecrust to make this pie.
The French Crumble is easy and you need ONLY ONE round of piecrust if you decide to use it.
The Crust with the Slits cut in it is the easiest and fastest as long as you buy ready-made frozen pie crusts. You will need two rounds of piecrust for this top.
a package of 2 frozen 8-inch deep dish piecrusts (or make your own from your favorite recipe)
¾ cup white (granulated) sugar ¼ cup all-purpose flour (pack it down in the cup when you measure it)
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg (freshly ground is best, of course)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon (if it’s been sitting in your cupboard for years, buy fresh!—cinnamon loses its flavor when it’s old)
¼ teaspoon salt
½ stick cold salted butter (¼ cup, 2 ounces, pound)
Prepare your crust(s) according to the following instructions:
If you decided to use homemade piecrust, roll out one round and use it to line an 8-inch deep-dish pie pan (or a 9-inch regular pie pan).
If you bought frozen piecrusts, leave one right in its pan and let it thaw on the counter. You’ll use that for the bottom crust. If you decided to make the top Crust with Slits, loosen the second crust a bit in its pan, but leave it in the pan on the counter to thaw. If you decided to use the French Crumble top, return that second frozen piecrust to your freezer for the next time you bake a pie.
Rinse the blackberries, pat them dry with a paper towel, and put them in a large bowl.
Mix the sugar, flour, nutmeg, cinnamon, and salt together in a small bowl.
Dump the small bowl with the dry ingredients on top of the blackberries and toss them to coat the berries. (Again, use your fingers and be as gentle as you can. You don’t want the berries to break open so the juice runs out. There will be enough juice given off when your pie bakes.)
Place a layer of coated blackberries in the bottom of the pan lined with piecrust. Arrange them with your fingers if there are any noticeable gaps. (You want a nice foundation for the rest of the berries.)
Place the rest of the coated berries in the pie pan. There should be enough to mound the top slightly. (These berries will fill in and settle during baking.)
There will probably be some leftover dry ingredients at the bottom of the bowl you used to mix the berries. Just sprinkle the remainder of the dry ingredients on top of the blackberries in the pie pan.
Cut the cold butter into 4 pieces and then cut those pieces in half. Place the pieces on top of the blackberries just as if you were dotting the blackberries with butter.
Top your pie with your choice of the Latticework Crust, the Crust with the Slits, or the French Crumble.
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