Three-Berry Pie with Vanilla Cream (Page 763)

RECIPE #804

• Date: Sunday, July 27, 2008 -- 5pm
• Location: Somerville, MA
• Kitchen: Matty's Apartment
• Dining Companions: Matty, Russ, Juice, Grant, Paps, Scarecrow, Mitch, Carrie, and Alex P
• Recipe Rating: A
  

I can provide no explanation for why I hadn't made this pie yet, except to say that I was saving it for a special occasion. Now that I have made it though it seems unfathomable that I made more than 800 other recipes from The Book before choosing to make this one. This pie was AWESOME! The filling was a combination of blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries, sweetened with some sugar and thickened with both cornstarch and tapioca. Yum! Yum, yum, yum. The pie was accompanied by vanilla cream (see post below) which we dolloped heavily on each slice. The overall effect: complete deliciousness. The pie crust was flaky and buttery, and even though the filling was relatively liquidy the bottom crust wasn't soggy. The top crust was egg washed and then sprinkled with turbinado sugar (e.g. Sugar In The Raw) which gave it an awesome crunch and a touch of sweetness. But it was the filling that made this pie one of the best I have ever eaten. It's hard to make a really good berry pie. Berries are very juicy, so berry fillings tend not to thicken up too well. Also, berry pies are often either too tart, or much too sweet. This recipe hit the mark both on thickness and sweetness though. It was delicious. Served either with the vanilla cream or with vanilla ice cream (or, frankly, all by itself!), this pie is sure to be a hit!

Here is the recipe.

Hello from California! On my flight last night I was seated between a guy who smelled like beef jerky and a woman who started crying when the plane hit some turbulence and continued to sob for the remaining three hours of the flight. So it was an adventure, but I made it! Today I had a really fun day hanging out with Emilee, Brian, and Sam. Emilee and I met at Stanford and were roommates through college, and she has remained my closest friend ever since. The summer after we graduated she married her high school sweetheart, Brian, and just four months ago they had their first child, Sam. Sam is a super, super cute, and really well-mannered baby. He and I bonded today while Emilee was at work and Brian was busily typing away at his dissertation. It has been a while since I have had any babies in my life, and it was such a pleasure.

After Sam went to bed (at the late, late hour of 7pm), Em, Brian, and I whipped up a very delicious, very rich meal of grilled beef, creamed leaks, Gorgonzola mashed potatoes, and fried green tomatoes. We ate dinner, drank some home brew and had a great time.

On the day Emilee got married, just over six years ago, I wondered if things were going to be different -- if her marriage would create new distance in our friendship. I was tremendously happy for her that day but also scared. It was a great relief the first time I visited Em and Brian after they got married. It was very comforting to know that our friendship hadn't changed. I was never particularly cognizant that I had that same worry when Sam was born. But it occurred to me today that perhaps I did. I had a deep sense of relief today -- that same sense of comfort in knowing that through this major event in Emilee and Brian's life, our friendship remains constant. It was also just so wonderful hanging out with little Sam. Emilee and Brian are like family to me, and Sam feels like family too. What a blessing he is for everyone...