Peach Blackberry Pie

I was perusing the Food Network Canada site, and this month's Cooking Club Challenge caught my eye. Peach Blackberry Pie? Yes, please!!

I met up with Anelyse at the UBC Farm one evening this week, for a major catch up session over each of our past year's adventures, while picking blackberries from some abandoned bushes near the forest.  After filling a container of these sweet and seedy guys, I hopped over to Save-On, found some Okanagan peaches, and hurried home to get to work.

I like pie, and I love summer fruit.  Pie + summer fruit = bliss.

Anna Olson's recipe is very easy to make.  The dough can be made in no time, and for the filling, just toss the fruits together with sugar, spices, and flour to thicken the juices.  Having returned from Sweden, where the most popular spices include cinnamon (kanel) and cardamom (kardemumma), I was inspired to add a Scandinavian twist to the pie.  Instead of the cinnamon and nutmeg that the recipe called for, I used cinnamon and cardamom.  Also, I substituted regular white sugar with brown sugar.

After some time in the oven, out came a wonderfully golden brown crust, with the juices from the fruits still bubbling.  On the flip side, once again, a soup pie emerged.  An ongoing problem that me and pie-lovin' friends have is that we often end up making what we call "soup pies."  Our fruit pies, though we have added flour to the filling, end up very liquidy, and there have been a couple of times where we have had to "drain" the pie over the sink. Thankfully, this time, this wasn't necessary, but still...I know I still need to hone my skills (unless, of course, you're a fan of soup pie; in this case, you know who to contact).

Nevertheless, this is a good pie, and even better with a healthy scoop of ice cream.  It tastes of B.C. summer, and is reminiscent of my wonderful times (fikabrod!) in Sweden.  Just make sure you add sufficient flour, or else drain it a little before consuming ;)

Peach Blackberry Pie (adapted from Anna Olson, with a Swedish twist)
makes 8 servings


2 cups flour
pinch of salt
1 cup butter, cubed and chilled
3-4 tbsp ice water
1 tbsp lemon or lime juice

8 peaches, peeled and sliced
2 cups blackberries
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp cardamom
1 egg, mixed with 2 tbsp cold water

Combined the flour and salt, and cut in the butter until it resembles coarse meal.
Stir in the lemon or lime juice and ice water, adding more water as needed,  until a dough is formed.
Shape the dough into two discs, cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Roll out one disc until the large enough to fit into a pie pan. Allow overhang.  Chill.
Combine the fruits, sugar, flour, vanilla, cinnamon, and cardamom together.  Pour into the chilled pie pan.
Roll out the other disc and cut into long strips. For a lattice over top, and pinch to seal the edges.
Brush the pie with the egg wash, place on a cookie sheet, and and bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, until golden brown and bubbling.  Serve with ice cream!