Salmonberry Pie

High summer is upon is and fruit season is in full swing. This past weekend I made pies with salmonberries! Now, unless you are from the West Coast, you may not have heard about them. And, even if you are from the left coast you may not know about them.

Salmonberries range from tart to not too sweet and when you toss a bunch of them together they look like “a party in a bowl” as my friend Cathy aptly puts it.

A Salmonberry Raspberry Pie

By the way, Cathy dropped by Pie Cottage for a visit from DC last week. We met when she came to write about Pie Camp for USA Today in July of last year. It had been nearly a year since she had been to my little abode and she got to see first hand all the lovely changes. While we chatted and caught up on what has been happening in our lives, she sat on the stool at my pie making counter and watched me put together the berry pie.

I made the dough gluten-free so I could enjoy it with her. It was the star of the evening after a simple supper of spiced lentil soup. In the morning, we just about finished it off for breakfast with strong coffee.

Salmonberries or not, use what is available to you. I hope you will enjoy it!

P.S. I’ll be out and about later in the summer and into the fall. You can catch me at the International Food Blogger Conference (IFBC) in Seattle, September 20-22. If you are going to be there, be sure to let me know. I’d love to say hello!

And I’ll be in Montana at The Resort at Paws Up, October 11-14 teaching the Art of the Pie at the Upper Crust Pie Camp.

Print Recipe

Salmonberry Pie

A simple berry pie that can be mixed with two or more berries. Use a mix of whatever strikes your fancy, that you find at your farmers market or from your favorite secret berry patch.

Prep Time30 mins

Cook Time1 hr

Total Time1 hr 30 mins

Course: Sweet Pie

Cuisine: American

Servings: 6 -8

Author: Kate McDermott-Art of the Pie

Ingredients

• One Double Crust Pie Dough
• A mixture of berries that can include:
• Raspberries Blackberries, Blueberries, Marionberries, Salmonberries, Tayberries, Huckleberries or whatever is ripe.
• 2/3 - 1 cup sugar depending on the sweetness of the berries and size of your pie pan.
• 1/3 teaspoon salt
• 1-2 gratings of nutmeg
• A squeeze of lemon juice about 1 teaspoon
• Other spices that you like can be added.
• 1/3-1/2 cup all-purpose flour or 1.5 tablespoons quick-cooking tapioca or 1/4 cup tapioca starch depending on how juicy the berries are.
• 1 knob of butter a small walnut size for dotting the top of the filling.
• 1 egg white mixed with 2 teaspoons of water to make an egg wash.
• Extra sugar for sprinkling on the top of pie before it bakes.

Instructions

• Measure the mix of berries so that they are about 1/2 inch below the rim of the pie pan. This will be approximately 4-6 cups of berries depending on the size of your pie pan.
• Mix gently until combined. Don't over mix so you can keep the berries shape although smushing a few is fine.
• Pour into a pie pan lined with an unbaked pie dough. Dot with butter. Top with upper crust and cut vents or make a lattice crust.
• Paint with some of the egg white wash.
• Sprinkle some sugar on top.
• Bake at 425 for 20 minutes.
• Turn down oven to 375 and bake for another 30-40 minutes.
• It's done when you see steady bubbling coming through the vents. Let cool for several hours...if you can. 😉

Notes

Use any variety of berries that you like! Fill your pie pan 1/2 inch below the rim of the pie pan.