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Blackberry Pie with a Leaf Lard Crust

Recipes

Our family marks the season with our favorite foods. Blackberry pie is always bittersweet for us because it marks the end of summer. We always pick enough and wash them before we freeze them to also make a Christmas Blackberry pie. Our family loves harvesting and baking. As a kid I learned how to make pie crust from my Great Grandma Hastings standing on a stool in her kitchen. A pro tip from my Great Great Grandma Meyers was to always add a dollop of butter under the crust.

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 2cups all-purpose flour
  • 1teaspoon salt
  • 2/3cup leaf lard
  • 4 to 6 tablespoons cold water

Filling

  • 3/4cup sugar
  • 1/2cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/2teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 6 cups fresh blackberries
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon butter, if desired

Directions

  1. In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups flour and the salt. Cut in leaf lard, using a pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with a fork until all flour is moistened and the pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).
  2. Make the pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on a lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate for about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the leaf lard to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let the pastry soften slightly before rolling.
  3. Heat oven to 425°F. With a floured rolling pin, roll one round into a round 2 inches larger than an upside-down 9-inch glass pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths; place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into the plate, pressing firmly against the bottom and side.
  4. In a large bowl, mix sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and the cinnamon. Stir in blackberries and vanilla extract. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Sprinkle some sugar mixture over the blackberry mixture. Sprinkle with lemon juice. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over blackberries. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Then sprinkle the crust with a light dusting of sugar. Cover the edge with a 2- to 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning.
  5. Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust, removing foil for the last 15 minutes of baking. Cool on the cooling rack for at least 2 hours.