Favorite Fresh Raspberry Pie — The Cake Was Hers, But This Pie Is Ours

Hadley turned fifteen months Sunday April 21. Harper hosted a small at-home gathering Sunday afternoon to mark the small fifteen-month milestone (a small Albright-family tradition of small monthly markers, slightly extended at the year-and-a-quarter point). Harper made the cake (a small lemon-blueberry layer cake). I made the small fresh raspberry pie as the additional dessert. Brayden is one hundred and thirty-four weeks old.

The favorite fresh raspberry pie is a fresh-fruit pie — a butter-pie-crust, a vanilla-cream filling, a generous topping of fresh raspberries arranged in concentric circles, finished with a small drizzle of melted dark-chocolate. The pie is fresh and bright and is the small early-summer-leaning dessert that the small fifteen-month-Hadley-celebration asked for.

The technique question on a fresh-fruit pie is the cream-filling-firmness. The vanilla-cream filling needs to be firm enough to hold the fresh raspberries on top without their sinking into the cream. The fix is using a small additional amount of cornstarch in the cream filling (one and a half tablespoons per cup of half-and-half) plus a small chill-in-the-refrigerator before the raspberries go on top.

Sunday I made the pie. Harper’s lemon-blueberry cake was the cake-of-the-day for Hadley. The pie was the small additional dessert for the family who wanted both. Aunt Linda had a slice. Mama had a slice. Hadley had a small piece of plain raspberry. Brayden had two small slivers (raspberries are now firmly on his solid-foods rotation).

Favorite Fresh Raspberry Pie

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 15 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes + 2 hours chilling | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 pre-baked 9-inch pie crust (homemade or store-bought)
• 6 cups fresh raspberries, divided
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Make the glaze base. In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of the raspberries, the granulated sugar, cornstarch, water, lemon juice, and salt over medium heat. Stir constantly, gently crushing the berries, until the mixture thickens and becomes glossy, about 8–10 minutes.
2. Strain and cool. Pour the glaze through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl, pressing lightly to remove seeds. Discard the solids. Let the glaze cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
3. Fill the crust. Arrange the remaining 4 cups of fresh raspberries in a single, snug layer in the pre-baked pie crust, pointed side up if possible, filling the shell evenly.
4. Glaze the berries. Pour the cooled glaze slowly and evenly over the fresh raspberries, making sure it fills in around and between the berries. Use a spoon to distribute if needed.
5. Chill. Refrigerate the pie uncovered for at least 2 hours, or until the glaze is fully set and slices cleanly.
6. Whip the cream. Just before serving, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla extract with a hand or stand mixer on medium-high speed until soft peaks form.
7. Serve. Slice the chilled pie and top each serving with a generous dollop of fresh whipped cream. Serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 310 | Protein: 2g | Fat: 13g | Carbs: 47g | Fiber: 5g | Sodium: 115mg