Love Fruit Pies? Here Is A Beginner’s Guide To Make This Dessert At Home

Pies are the centerpiece of desserts during the holiday season. Elevate your dinner experience by serving fruit pies on the table.

Fruit is an important part of our daily diet. We all must incorporate seasonal produce in the meals to live a healthy life. Along with being packed with several nutrients, they are also very delicious. Fruits are extremely versatile and can be used for preparing many dishes, especially desserts like pudding, cakes and pies. Speaking particularly about pies, these yummy delights are perfect to sweeten your dinner table in every season.

Prepared with numerous types of fillings, this dessert is a showstopper during festivals like Thanksgiving and Christmas. Besides pumpkin and pecan, fruit pies are the most famous variety of this sweet treat. Packed with the delightful flavor of fresh and frozen fruits, they are rich in taste and can be improvised according to an individual’s preference.

However, most of us feel making fruit pies at home can be very complicated and will not get the desired result. But don’t worry, here are some simple yet effective tips that can give you a perfect fruit pie at home.

Sift The Ingredients

Sifting is very important while making pie crusts. To get a lighter and flaker crust make sure to sift your dry ingredients together and then mix or fold in with wet ingredients. This step breaks up any clumps and also adds volume.

Pre-bake tips

When it comes to fruit pies, the crust plays a very crucial role in the recipe; it can make or ruin your pie. The filling is important but if the crust is not perfect then no trick can work for you. Any pie that has a wet center (like fruit pies) should have a pre-baked crust.

For prepping

In the process of pie-making, we need to do a lot of prep work in advance. Make sure to pre-make cookie and graham cracker crusts to make the process easier. You can do it by crushing crackers and cookies and storing the crumbs in an air-tight container. Your unbaked pie crusts can be frozen directly in the pie pan. All you have to do is just wrap it tightly in plastic wrap or place the whole pie tin in a safe plastic bag.

Cut Into Right Size

The size of pies really affects the taste and flavor of the dish especially when you have fruit filling. If the chunks are too large for your fork, then very little room will be left for the topping and crust. Also, pieces that are very tiny can make them fall apart and separate. The ideal size of a pie is about 1/2 a thumb's length and same for its thickness.

Add Acid

Adding acids (like lemon juice) to fruit pie fillings can do a great help in preserving their flavor and color. They complement the taste and texture of a dense and sweet pie. You can also use balsamic vinegar for your berry pies. These acids enter into the fruits and bring out juices and natural sugars into the filling.

Overfilling Is Not A Problem

Fruit fillings have the tendency to settle down as they are baked. So, you can heap and pile up your fruit filling. As soon as it goes to the preheated oven you will notice that it compacts, leaving you with a nice flat top when done.

Bake In The Bottom Rack

Finally, always use the bottom rack of the oven for your fruit pies. This simple tip will help in keeping the bottom crust of your pie from becoming soggy.

Triple Berry Pie Recipe

Ingredients:

For the crust:

• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into small cubes
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 6-8 tablespoons ice water

For the filling:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced
• 1 cup fresh blueberries
• 1 cup fresh raspberries
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

For the egg wash:

• 1 egg, beaten

Method

• Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

To prepare the crust:

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and sugar. Add the cold, cubed butter to the flour mixture. Use a pastry cutter or your fingers to work the butter into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Gradually add ice water, one tbsp at a time, mixing until the dough just comes together. Be careful not to overmix. Divide the dough in half, shape each half into a disc, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Roll out the crust:

• On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc of dough to fit a 9-inch pie dish. Place the rolled-out dough into the pie dish, trimming any excess and crimping the edges.

To prepare the filling:

• In a mixing bowl, gently toss together the strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and salt until the berries are evenly coated. Pour the berry mixture into the prepared pie crust.

Assemble the pie

• On a floured surface, roll out the second disc of dough. You can either place the whole sheet on top or create a lattice pattern. If using a whole sheet, carefully place it over the berry filling. Trim any excess dough and crimp the edges to seal the pie.
• Brush the top crust with the beaten egg. This will give the pie a golden and shiny finish.

Bake

• Place the pie on a baking sheet to catch any drips. Bake in the preheated oven for 45-50 minutes, or until the crust is golden brown, and the filling is bubbly. Allow the pie to cool for at least 2 hours before serving to let the filling set. Slice and serve your delicious triple berry pie on its own or with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!