Enjoy this triple berry pie pie before the summer season says so-long! With an easy homemade piecrust and a sweet filling made with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries, it’s sure to be a a crowd pleaser.
I know fall is on the cusp of moving into our meal planning and wardrobe, but I wanted to sneak in one more summer fruit pie before we say farewell to the season. Slab pies deviate from the classic round pies of pie-safes-past, but I find they are well suited for big gatherings as they are bigger than a standard 9- or 10-inch rounds and easier to cut up into smaller servings.
Most pie crusts only use butter and/or shortening in the crust. For this pie, I added cream cheese to mix, creating a tender, flavorful crust that has structure. This helps once the pie is cool and is ready to be removed. If the crust was too tender and flakey, it would be brittle and wouldn’t hold the weight of the filling or be easily moved from the pan. But don’t fret - this crust isn’t dry or hard. When it comes to freezing the assembled pie, this step can be skipped in a pinch, or the pie can be assembled, loosely covered in plastic wrap, and refrigerated for several hours before baking. Freezing or chilling the pie helps to set the crust decoration and crimping as well as get the butter really cold for better texture when baked.
Now, let’s talk about the wild card ingredient - freeze-dried strawberries. Freeze-dried strawberries come with a small packet of silica crystals to keep them dry and crisp. Be sure to remove that before grinding. I wrote the recipe to use one appliance (food processor), but the strawberries can also be ground into a powder in a blade spice or coffee grinder. This can be done well in advance of making the pie. If storing for more than a few hours, add the silica packet to the powder to keep it from clumping. In the filling, the addition of the freeze-dried strawberry powder gives the berry mixture a little extra insurance that it will be stable enough to slice well when cooled and packs it full of sweet berry flavor. Additionally, tapioca flour is added as the main thickener and is preferred over cornstarch. When using particularly juicy fruits like berries, cornstarch can start to weep over time; however, it is a perfectly acceptable substitute if you have it on hand.
If you’re a pumpkin pie spice latte drinker in August and just don’t want to wait for summer to end to welcome fall, you can certainly sub apples or pears for the fruit in this recipe! I’d swap the freeze-dried strawberries for freeze-dried apples for more fall taste and color. Hope you enjoy it!
(printable recipe card at the bottom)
Mixed Berry Slab Pie
Makes 1 (13x9-inch) pie
Ingredients
1 (1.2 ounce) bag freeze-dried strawberries
Crust:
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 (8-ounce) package cold cream cheese, cubed
1 cup cold salted butter, cubed
8 tablespoons ice water
Filling:
1 cup granulated sugar
6 tablespoons tapioca flour
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (about 1 pound)
2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces)
2 cups fresh blackberries (about 10 ounces)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Garnish:
2 tablespoons powdered sugar
METHOD
Place freeze-dried strawberries in the bowl of a food processor. Process into a fine powder. Transfer to an airtight container and seal. Wipe food processor mostly clean with a dry paper towel.
For crust: add flour and sugar to the bowl of the food processor. Process to combine. Add cream cheese, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse grits. Add butter and pulse twice. While continuing to pulse, pour water into flour mixture in a slow steady stream until a dough starts to form and holds together when pinched, about 8 times. Scrape mixture onto a lightly floured work surface. Press into a ball. Cut off one-third and press each piece into a 5-inch square. Cover each square with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. (The dough can be made 3 days ahead. If chilled for more than 6 hours, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling.)
Preheat oven to 400°. Lay a 9-inch-wide strip of parchment paper in a 13x9-inch non-stick rimmed baking sheet, letting excess hang over edges of pan.
For filling: whisk together granulated sugar, tapioca flour, and 4 tablespoons strawberry powder in a large bowl. Add all berries, and toss to combine.
On a lightly floured surface, roll larger dough piece into an 18x14-inch rectangle. Place in prepared pan. Trim excess dough to leave about 1-inch of overhang. Pour filling into prepared pan, pressing lightly to create an even surface. Roll remaining dough into a 14x10-inch rectangle. Cut 3 (3-inch) wide strips and arrange diagonally on top of pie filling. Trim strips to fit the inside edge of pan. Fold dough edges over and crimp as desired. Cut shapes out of remaining dough scraps and arrange as desired. Freeze pie for 15 minutes. Lightly brush with egg. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet.
Bake at 400° for 25 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 375°. Bake an additional 40 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Place pie on a wire rack; cool completely. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the crust to loosen from pan. Using the parchment as handles, carefully lift pie out of pan, and place on a serving plate. In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar and remaining strawberry powder (about 2 1/2 tablespoons.). Sift over pie. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.
Mixed Berry Pie
Ingredients:
- 1 (1.2 ounce) bag freeze-dried strawberries
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 (8-ounce) package cold cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup cold salted butter, cubed
- 8 tablespoons ice water
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons tapioca flour
- 2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (about 1 pound)
- 2 cups fresh blueberries (about 10 ounces)
- 2 cups fresh blackberries (about 10 ounces)
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions:
- Place freeze-dried strawberries in the bowl of a food processor. Process into a fine powder. Transfer to an airtight container and seal. Wipe food processor mostly clean with a dry paper towel.
- For crust: add flour and sugar to the bowl of the food processor. Process to combine. Add cream cheese, and pulse until mixture resembles coarse grits. Add butter and pulse twice. While continuing to pulse, pour water into flour mixture in a slow steady stream until a dough starts to form and holds together when pinched, about 8 times. Scrape mixture onto a lightly floured work surface. Press into a ball. Cut off one-third and press each piece into a 5-inch square. Cover each square with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour. (The dough can be made 3 days ahead. If chilled for more than 6 hours, let it stand at room temperature for 10 minutes before rolling.)
- Preheat oven to 400°. Lay a 9-inch-wide strip of parchment paper in a 13x9-inch non-stick rimmed baking sheet, letting excess hang over edges of pan.
- For filling: whisk together granulated sugar, tapioca flour, and 4 tablespoons strawberry powder in a large bowl. Add all berries, and toss to combine.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll larger dough piece into an 18x14-inch rectangle. Place in prepared pan. Trim excess dough to leave about 1-inch of overhang. Pour filling into prepared pan, pressing lightly to create an even surface. Roll remaining dough into a 14x10-inch rectangle. Cut 3 (3-inch) wide strips and arrange diagonally on top of pie filling. Trim strips to fit the inside edge of pan. Fold dough edges over and crimp as desired. Cut shapes out of remaining dough scraps and arrange as desired. Freeze pie for 15 minutes. Lightly brush with egg. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet.
- Bake at 400° for 25 minutes; reduce oven temperature to 375°. Bake an additional 40 minutes or until crust is golden and filling is bubbly. Place pie on a wire rack; cool completely. When ready to serve, run a knife around the edges of the crust to loosen from pan. Using the parchment as handles, carefully lift pie out of pan, and place on a serving plate. In a small bowl whisk together powdered sugar and remaining strawberry powder (about 2 1/2 tablespoons.). Sift over pie. Serve with vanilla ice cream or sweetened whipped cream.