Summer's Bounty: Fresh Raspberry Pie

Picking berries is oddly meditative.  The sound of round ripeness dropping into the pail.  Thunk, thunk, thunk.  Looking to find next bunch, gently separating the canes to see better inside: pluck, pluck.  You become connected to the bush, somehow.  There is a rhythm to berry picking unlike anything else I've ever done.

Tonight, I kid you not, I picked two quarts of raspberries from the bushes in our back yard tonight.   This in addition to the quart I picked yesterday, and the quart I picked the day before.  We've been giving them away and eating them like mad, but with a long weekend trip coming up, I had to think fast.

Fresh raspberry pie, I decided.  Uses the most raspberries, preserves them in their most pristine form, probably uses the least amount of sugar.  If I were really doing this right, I would have found a sugar substitute, but sometimes you just have to go for the jugular.

For the crust, a shortbread.

1/2 c. softened butter
1/2 t. salt
3 T. confectioner's sugar
1/2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 c. regular flour (one could probably use all whole wheat pastry, but I'm bringing this somewhere else, so I decided best to go half and half)

Mix with a fork softened butter, salt, confectioners sugar, and flour. When it has the consistency of cornmeal, press it into a pie plate (I used 9.5 inch), prick with fork, and bake empty at 425 degrees 10-12 mins. Check at minimum time as this crust burns easily.


Then, a glaze:

1 c. berries
1/3 c. water
3/4 c. sugar
7 1/2 t. cornstarch
dash salt


In a saucepan, crush berries. Add water; simmer for 3 minutes. Strain, reserving juice; discard pulp and seeds. Add enough water to juice to measure 1 cup liquid. In a saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and salt. Slowly stir in raspberry liquid. bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; cool slightly.  

Then, fresh raspberries.  As many as you can fit into the shell.  I think I mounded just about 1.5 quarts in there.  Pour the glaze over, and chill 2-3 hours or until set.  Lick fingers, pots, and bowls.  Ponder with amazement the universe that made berry bushes.