Blackberry Basil Pie

By franny-2

The basil syrup complements the cream filled pie topped with whipped cream and blackberries. The flavors will delight your tastebuds!

Ingredients

• CRUST:
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) flour
• 1/4 teaspoon (1 mL) salt
• 10 tablespoon (150 mL) cold butter, cut into cubes
• 3 tablespoon (45 mL) ice cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon (2 mL) white vinegar
• 1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tablespoon (15 mL) water
• White decorative sanding sugar
• CUSTARD:
• 1 1/2 cups (375 mL) blackberries
• 4 eggs, plus 2 egg yolks
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar
• 1/2 cup (125 mL) whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon (15 mL) lemon juice
• TOPPING:
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) sugar
• 1/4 cup (60 mL) packed basil leaves, plus extra for garnish
• 1 cinnamon stick, about 3 inches (8 cm) long
• 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream
• 1 cup (250 mL) blackberries

Preparation

Step 1

For the crust, pulse flour and salt in a food processor to combine. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle with water and vinegar. Pulse until mixture be gins to clump together. (If dough appears crumbly and doesn’t hold together when squeezed with fingers, add up to 2 more tablespoons of water, 1 tablespoon at a time.)

Turn out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form into a disc. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

Place chilled dough on a lightly floured surface and roll out to roughly ¼-inch (5-mm) thickness. Gently drape over rolling pin and carefully unroll over a 9-inch (23-cm) pie plate. Form dough to plate and trim, leaving a 1-inch (2.5-cm) overhang. Fold overhang under itself so edge is flush with plate. Crimp edge as desired. Prick bottom of dough all over with a fork and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).

Line pie shell all the way up the sides with a round of parchment paper and fill with dried beans or pie weights. Brush edge with egg and water mixture; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake until edges turn golden, about 15 minutes. Carefully remove beans and parchment and continue baking until bottom is crisp and golden, 15 to 20 minutes longer. Remove to a rack to cool completely.

For the custard, purée the blackberries in a blender. Using a spatula, press purée through a fine-meshed sieve positioned over a medium heatproof bowl. Discard seeds. Add eggs, egg yolks, sugar, cream and lemon juice to bowl. Whisk to combine.

Position bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and cook, whisking constantly, until mixture has thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Place a buttered piece of parchment directly on the surface of custard and allow to cool to room temperature. Scrape custard into baked crust, smooth top and refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

While pie is chilling, assemble the topping by dissolving sugar with ¼ cup (60 mL) water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high. Remove from heat, add basil and cinnamon stick. Allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain syrup and discard solids. Cool to room temperature. Whip cream to stiff peaks and fold in 2 tablespoons (30 mL) of syrup. In a small bowl, combine remaining syrup with blackberries. Mash 3 to 4 of the berries with a fork to colour syrup.

To assemble, spoon cream over chilled pie to cover custard. Just before serving, spoon berries and syrup over cream and garnish with additional basil leaves.

Serves 6 to 8

TIP: To create a diamond-patterned decorative crust, line pie plate with dough and trim flush with plate edge. Gather and re-roll excess dough to a ¼-inch (5-mm) thickness. Using a ruler, cut dough into strips ½ inch (1 cm) wide. Cut strips crosswise into ½-inch (1-cm) squares. Brush edge of dough in pie plate with egg mixture. Working with 1 square of dough at a time, place square along edge with 1 point facing outwards from the centre. Press each square down lightly to secure. Repeat with remaining squares, overlapping them slightly and pressing each lightly into place. Brush with remaining egg mixture, sprinkle with sugar, and bake as per recipe.

Note: You may certainly use a store-bought pie crust instead of making the one from scratch included here; however, we’ve allowed for extra dough to form a beautiful decorative edge. To create a diamond- patterned sugared crust, follow the TIP at the end of the recipe.