Guests Ashlyn Bigger and Blakley Williams

Miss Carroll's Kitchen - December 2023

Guests Ashlyn Bigger and Blakley Williams

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Ashlyn Bigger, the Family and Consumer Science teacher at Pocahontas School District and her student,

Blakley Williams, demonstrated Blakley’s award winning pie from the 2023 Arkansas Pie Festival. Blakley Williams' “Berry Christmas Pie” was the award winning recipe in the student division of the 2023 Arkansas Pie competition.

You’ll enjoy this one!

Prep Time: 35 minutes
Baking Time: 45 minutes
Total Time: 1 ½ hours, approximately
Servings: Makes enough for two pie pastries

Cooking Tools

Measuring Cups and Spoons
Pie Plate
Saucepan

Berry Christmas Pie Ingredients

Two pie crusts for a 9” deep dish pan, unbaked
7 cups fresh or frozen raspberries, blueberries, and blackberries - about 2 ⅓ cups of each type of berry
1 cup granulated sugar (plus a little extra to sprinkle on top of the pie)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons butter

Berry Christmas Pie Directions

Cook berries: Add berries, sugar and lemon juice to a large saucepan over medium heat.
Simmer, until warm and juicy, about 5-10 minutes, gently stirring occasionally. (You can taste it at this point and see if it is sweet enough for your liking. I don’t like to make mine too sweet, but if you want it sweeter you can add ¼ cup more sugar).
Thicken filling: Spoon out about ½ cup of the juice from the pan into a bowl. Stir cornstarch into the juice until smooth.
Bring the pot of berries back to a simmer and slowly pour in the cornstarch. Gently stir mixture (being careful not to mash the berries), until thickened, about 2-5 minutes.
Remove from heat and stir in the butter. Allow to cool for 15 minutes. Pour mixture into an unbaked pie shell (9-inch deep dish pan).
Add lattice top or a whole top with holes pricked on top for steam to escape.
Bake at 400 degrees F for 40-45 minutes. Check it after about 25 minutes and place a piece of foil over it if the top crust is getting too brown.
Remove to a wire cooling rack and allow to cool for several hours. Once cooled completely, you can cut into it or cover it and refrigerate it overnight to serve the next day.

NOTES:

To make ahead: This pie can be prepared completely 1 day ahead of time. You can also prepare the filling up to 3 months ahead of time and store it in the freezer. Thaw it overnight in the refrigerator before pouring in an unbaked pie crust.
To freeze: You can freeze the baked pie for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature before serving.