Red Berry & Blue Pies

Recipe by Savannah Waszczuk.

Ingredients for the Crust
2½ cups all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon salt
1 cup cold butter, cubed
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Ingredients for the Filling
1¼ cups sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
Dash salt
¼ cup water
3¾ to 4 cups of fresh seasonal berries*
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter

*Note: Equal parts blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries make a great mixed-berry pie, or you can divide ingredients (blueberry-blackberry and raspberry-strawberry) to make two varieties.

To Prepare Crust
Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter until crumbly. Slowly add ice water (minus ice), mixing with a fork until dough holds together when pressed. Divide dough in two, with one half being slightly larger. Shape each into a flat disk and wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate at least one hour or overnight.

To Prepare Filling
Heat oven to 400°F. In a large saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch, salt and water. Whisk until smooth. Add blueberries and raspberries. Heat to a boil. Stir until thickened, approximately two minutes. Allow to cool. Fold strawberries, blackberries and lemon juice into cooled mixture, then set aside.

To Assemble Pies
Lightly flour your work surface. Roll each dough half out until approximately ⅛-inch thick or, if making miniature pies, divide each half in half and roll into smaller circles. (One batch makes one 9-inch pie or two 6-inch pies.) Line pie pan(s) with bottom halves of pie dough. If making one large pie, use the larger half for the bottom. Add filling and dot with butter. Using various sizes of star-shaped cookie cutters, cut remaining top dough into various star shapes. Create stripes by slicing some of the dough into thin strips with a pizza cutter. Arrange crust shapes on pie(s) to create your favorite design(s), then crimp edges. Place pie(s) on a cookie sheet, and place in oven. Bake 10 minutes. Reduce heat to  350°F; bake 45–50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Serve with vanilla ice cream, if desired.