tri-berry pie

i love baking pies.  pies are one of my favorite desserts to make because it's nearly impossibly to mess up a pie.  the other day i decided to make a tri-berry pie because we had lots of fruit in our fridge that only had a few days left before it was going to turn.  i knew we wouldn't be able to eat all of that fruit and i didn't want it to get thrown away.  so, i did something that i've become very good at: taking something healthy and turning it into something totally and completely unhealthy.  i make my pie crusts because it's so easy, but if you prefer to buy your pie crusts, you can still use this recipe.  i also made a lattice top to my pie, but if you'd prefer to have a top crust on your pie, that's fine too.  finally, you can use any berries that you prefer.  so, as you can see, this is a very versatile pie and it's SO SUPER EASY!

for the crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup cold butter, cut into pieces
1/4-1/2 cup ice water

there are two tricks to an easy pie crust.  first, make sure your butter and water are as cold as you can get them.  second, make sure that you use lots of flour on your counter and your rolling pin when you go to roll it out.  the flour will prevent the dough from sticking to any surface.  i use my mixer when i make pie dough, but you can easily make it with your hands or a dough-cutter if you don't have a mixer.

combine the flour and butter pieces in the mixer and mix on low until it has a grainy texture. add the ice water a small bit at at time while still mixing.  you want to add enough water that you can press the dough between your fingers.  if you add too much it'll be sticky and have a spiky look to it.  you'll know when your dough is ready because it will start to pull of the sides of the bowl.

once your dough is ready, separate it into two equal lumps, wrap it in plastic wrap and stick it in the fridge for at least 30 min.

for the filling:
2 cups blackberries
2 cups strawberries (sliced)
2 cups blueberries
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

preheat oven to 350
combine sugar, flour and cinnamon and mix together.  put 1/3 of the mixture aside in a bowl.
combine all 3 berries into a big bowl and add the remaining dry mixture.  toss the berries so that they are completely coated (make sure to toss well because a lot of the dry mixture will fall to the bottom of the bowl).

take your dough out of the fridge and roll it out until it's about 1/4 in. thick.  place one of the doughs into your pie dish and press down along the sides and bottom.  add the 1/3 of the dry mixture that you reserved to the bottom of the pie.  add the berry mixture to that. using the other rolled out dough. cut strips with a pie cutter (or a knife).  before making your lattice, cut the 2 tbs butter into thin squares and place it on top of the pie filling.  using the strips, lattice the top of the pie by creating a woven pattern. makes sure to seal the ends of the lattice to the edge of the other pie dough by pressing it between your fingers.

put pie on a cookie sheet and bake for 45-55 min, or until the crust is a golden brown