Blackberry Apple Pie

Solstice passed this week and the days are starting that long gold stretch where the light doesn't give up until nearly ten at night. I always feel a kind of urgency in midsummer, like I should be doing more than I am, though I'm never sure what that more would look like. The ranch has its rhythms regardless of the calendar — horses need their feet trimmed whether it's the longest day of the year or the shortest.

Jen spent three days out here. She slept in the spare room down the hall, which is also where I keep my boots and gun safe and the cardboard boxes of elk jerky I sell to a couple of sporting goods stores in Livingston. She didn't say anything about it being a strange bedroom. She unpacked her one bag and came down for coffee at six-thirty like she'd been doing it for years. Mom liked her immediately. Dad shook her hand and said her name once and that was his version of a warm welcome.

We rode horses Tuesday morning — Jen on Dusty, who I keep specifically because he's patient with people who don't ride every day. She'd ridden before, years ago, and it came back to her fast. We went up the east pasture and stood on the ridge for a while looking down at the valley. The creek was still running high from snowmelt. I pointed out the line where our property ends and the Brennan place begins. She asked if I knew them and I said we'd grown up together and left it at that.

Mom made rhubarb pie for the weekend, which is the clearest sign that summer has arrived in this house. The rhubarb comes from the same plants Colleen's mother brought from Minnesota in the 1950s, transplanted twice and still producing. There's something about food with that kind of lineage — you're eating the same thing three generations of women made, and somehow the recipe holds, and somehow that matters. Jen had two pieces and told Mom the crust was the best she'd ever had. Mom waved that off but she was pleased. I could tell.

Mom’s rhubarb pie was a hard act to follow, but it got me thinking about the particular power of a well-made fruit pie — the way a good crust can stop a conversation cold and make someone reach for a second piece before they’ve quite decided to. This blackberry apple pie isn’t the one off those 1950s Minnesota plants, but it carries the same spirit: simple fruit, honest pastry, made for a table where people are sticking around long enough for it to matter.

Prep Time: 30 minutes | Cook Time: 55 minutes | Total Time: 1 hour 25 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

For the crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
6–8 tablespoons ice water
For the filling:
2 cups fresh or frozen blackberries
3 medium apples (such as Granny Smith or Honeycrisp), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
For finishing:
1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)
1 tablespoon coarse sugar, for sprinkling

Instructions

Make the crust. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, and salt. Add cold butter cubes and work them into the flour using your fingers or a pastry cutter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with some pea-sized pieces remaining. Add ice water one tablespoon at a time, stirring gently until the dough just holds together. Divide in half, flatten into discs, wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate at least 1 hour or overnight.
Preheat and prepare. Preheat your oven to 400°F. On a lightly floured surface, roll one disc of dough into a 12-inch circle. Transfer to a 9-inch pie plate, pressing gently into the bottom and sides. Trim the overhang to about 1 inch and refrigerate while you prepare the filling.
Make the filling. In a large bowl, combine blackberries, apple slices, sugar, cornstarch, lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Toss gently to coat evenly and let stand for 10 minutes.
Assemble the pie. Pour the filling into the prepared crust, mounding it slightly in the center. Roll out the second dough disc and lay it over the filling. Trim, fold the edges under, and crimp to seal. Cut several slits in the top crust to allow steam to escape. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with coarse sugar.
Bake. Place the pie on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake at 400°F for 20 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 375°F and bake for an additional 35–40 minutes, until the crust is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the vents. If the crust edges brown too quickly, cover them loosely with foil.
Cool before serving. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and cool for at least 2 hours before slicing. This allows the filling to set so it doesn’t run when cut. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm, with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream if you like.

Nutrition (per serving)

Blackberry Apple Pie — The Kind of Crust That Makes People Stay