This pie is a true luxury. Since it contains about 2½ pounds of luscious berries, it’s not an inexpensive pie to make. It is worth every penny, though, especially if you can get fresh huckleberries (the blue in “black and blue”). They are tart, floral, and complex with deep berry flavor.
Ingredients
For the Brown Sugar Crumb
- 1 cup (120 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (45 g) old-fashioned rolled oats
- ¼ cup (50 g) packed dark brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 stick (113 g) unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons whole milk
For the Crust and Filling
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for rolling
- ½ recipe Flaky Butter Crust
- 3 cups (380 g) fresh huckleberries or blueberries
- 3 cups (330 g) fresh blackberries, boysenberries, or marionberries
- ¾ cup (150 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Generous pinch kosher salt
- Very cold heavy cream, for serving (optional)
How to Make It
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Make the Brown Sugar Crumb
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, and salt in a small mixing bowl. Combine the melted butter and milk in a measuring cup and slowly pour it into the flour mixture. Use a fork or your hands to fluff the mixture until the butter is distributed throughout. Squeeze a few handfuls of the crumb mixture into large clumps. Refrigerate until ready to use. Prepare the Crust
- If your dough has been chilled overnight, it will need to sit at room temperature a bit before rolling—this will take 10 to 15 minutes. Lightly flour your work surface and roll the pie dough out to a 13-inch round that is ⅛ inch thick. Transfer to a 9½-inch pie dish and use your fingertips to relax the dough into the shape of the pie dish, leaving a 2-inch overhang around the edge of the dish. Fold the extra dough under itself. Use your thumb and forefinger to crimp the edge of the dough, pressing the crimp into the pie dish and making sure the dough extends to the outer edge of the dish. This anchors the crust inside the dish, which results in a proud crown of crust after baking. Freeze the crimped crust for about 20 minutes, until the dough is very cold.
- Position a rack in the center of your oven and preheat the oven to 400°F. Place a parchment-lined baking sheet on the lower rack to catch any juices that fall from the pie when it bakes. Make the Filling
- Combine the flour, berries, granulated sugar, lemon juice, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Gently toss to coat the berries. Squeeze just one handful of berries to break them open, and stir the smashed fruit into the filling—this helps to create a sauce by introducing a small amount of the berry juices to the filling before it bakes. Assemble the Pie
- Transfer the filling to the chilled crust. Top the pie with the crumble, breaking large clumps into chunks of varying sizes as you sprinkle it all over the filling. Place the pie on the center rack of the oven and reduce the heat to 375°F. Bake until the crust is a deep golden brown and the juices from the pie are bubbling, about 1 hour.
- Remove the pie from the oven and transfer to a wire rack. Cool for at least 2 hours before serving. Store any leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 1 week.
