At the Market:: Gooseberries & Blackberries (Gooseberry & Blackberry Pie)

It is officially berry season! Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries  and my new favorite berry, the gooseberry.  While you can purchase berries all year long (frozen or fresh), there is something extra special about eating them while they are in season and local.  They just taste much better being ripened by the warmth of the sun.  I have been picking up as many cartons as I can carry at the farmers market, since not only are they great to eat raw but they have a great way of making your complexion look better.  When it comes to berries I am not partial to one kind, although I have been eating crates of raspberries and blueberries and as I mentioned a new favorite, the gooseberry.   They look like grapes and have the same juiciness but they have the floral sweetness of a raspberry.  They are great eaten as is or a wonderful addition to a pie or crumble.  Also, blackberries, when in season taste completely different then their over-sized grocery store counterpart that are heavily seeded.  In season, blackberries are incredibly tender and sweet, with not nearly as many seeds.  In order to celebrate the season, I made a Gooseberry & Blackberry Pie, perfect after a summer dinner.  This pie is the perfect ratio of tartness to sweetness!

Gooseberry & Blackberry Pie

Ingredients:

Double Pie Crust, recipe here

1 1/2 cups goosberries, stems removed and cut in half

2 cups blackberries

1/2 cup sugar*

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch of grated nutmeg

1 tablespoon corn starch

1 egg yolk

Sanding sugar, for garish

Directions: Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Roll out first portion of pie crust to fit pie pan. Set aside. Combine gooseberries, blackberries, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and corn starch in a bowl.  Gently fold ingredients together.  Pour into pie pan.  Roll out second portion of pie crust, if desired punch out holes using a pastry tip.  Gently roll over pie filling.  Brush with egg wash and sprinkle sanding sugar on top.  Bake for 45 minutes or until golden brown.   Let cool before serving.

*After adding sugar, taste the berries.  You might need to adjust according to their natural sweetness.    

*Photography & Styling by Alison