CARDAMOM BERRY PIE

Occupied with the world’s standstill, we have not noticed spring is approaching, which means warmer weather and hopefully better health for us all. What better way to usher in the spring season than with a mixed berry pie? I love shortbread pies because their crusts are not very sweet, allowing the flavors of the caramelized filling to take center stage. Mixing sweet berries with the pine flavors of cardamom provides an extra play on flavors. We do love the oozing berry juice that will bleed out of the pie, but we do not love soggy crusts. To remedy this issue, we will add dried oats to the bottom of our pie crust before adding the berries. The result is a crumbly crust and caramelized berry filling.

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DETAILS

A fresh springtime dessert with a prep time of 30 minutes, a rest time of 30 minutes and a baking time of 45 minutes.

INGREDIENTS

Tart Dough: I’ve always used @davidlebovitz ‘s recipe for the tart dough

• 1 1/2 cups flour

• 1 tablespoon sugar

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted (French) butter, cubed and chilled

• 6 tablespoons ice water

Filling:

• 2 ½ cup strawberries, hulled and cut in quarters 

• 1 cup blueberries

• 2 cups blackberries

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• 2/3 cup sugar

• 1 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 4 nibs unsalted butter

• 3 tablespoons dried oats

Step 1: Dough

In a large bowl, add the flour, sugar, and butter. For this part, it is best to work as quickly as possible. Start rubbing the ingredients together using your fingertips, smashing the butter cubes with the dry ingredients to form a sand-like texture. When you have created a uniform mixture, add the water and combine with your hands. Pour the mixture onto your countertop. Place the base of your hand in the center of the mixture. Press down and slide your hand away from you. Scrape the mixture back into a circle with a pastry scraper or your hands and repeat the process until a loose dough begins to form. This happens as the butter is being pressed into the flour. This process should take no more than two minutes and the dough should not be overworked. Create a disk with the dough, wrap it in plastic wrap, and place in the fridge for 30 minutes. 

Step 2: Filling

Five minutes before taking your dough out of the fridge, start your filling process. If you start too early, your fruits will get too mushy. In a large bowl, add all the berries, sugar, vanilla and cardamom together and set aside. Don’t mix them together. 

Step 3: Heat your oven to 200 degrees Celsius 

Step 4: Roll out the dough

Dust your work surface with a thin layer of flour. Take the dough out of the fridge and remove the plastic wrap. With a rolling pin, whack the dough two times, turn it 90 degrees and give it another two whacks. Roll out the dough into a circle that is 1 cm thick. You can do this by rolling your rolling pin away and back to you twice over the dough, slide your hand under the dough, make sure nothing is sticking to your countertop and turn it 90 degrees. Again, roll your rolling pin away and back to you twice over the dough, slide your hand under the dough, make sure nothing is sticking to your countertop and turn it 90 degrees. You can replenish the thin layer of flour on your countertop as you roll the dough. This ensures uniform rolling and most importantly, the dough will not stick to the surface of your workstation. Keep repeating the above until the dough is around 1 cm in thickness. Roll your dough onto your rolling pin and place it on your baking tray, which is lined with baking paper. 

Step 5: Add the fruits

Mix the combined berries and sugar together in the bowl (which were previously prepared). Add the oats to the center of the dough and lay them flat. Add the combined fruits to the center of the dough and place the butter nibs on top. Leave 5 centimeters of the dough rim free. Fold the free edges of the dough over the fruit filling and brush them with melted butter. 

Step 6: Baking

Bake for 45 minutes until the crust is golden and the juices of the berries start oozing out. I like my pie crusts more cooked than usual, so I bake my pie for 55 minutes. You may experience a lot of berry juice oozing out, but since the base of your pie is lined with oats, it will remain crispy. Remember to cool for 10 minutes before eating that is the most difficult part!

Photography, Recipe, Food Styling, Prop Styling by: TALA SOUBRA

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