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at Tue, 27 Jul 2004 20:59:23 GMT in >,
(zxcvbob) wrote :

>Alex Rast wrote:
>> at Tue, 27 Jul 2004 03:46:10 GMT in <raneemdonot-9EC3CC.20461026072004
>> @news.harbornet.com>, (Ranee Mueller)
>> wrote :
>>
>>
>>>In article >,
(Alex Rast) wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>>It's interesting, seeing the responses, that it would seem berry pies
>>>>tend not to be peoples' favourites. Any reason for this people care
>>>>to elaborate on (besides the old "de gustibus non est disputandum"
>>>>argument?)
>>>
>>> I love the taste of fresh berries... but I tend
>>>not to think about berry pies...
>>
>> Is there something specific about baked berry pies that turns you off
>> them?...
>>
>I've eaten some really awful berry pies that were like sweetened
>wallpaper paste. The berries were only there to provide color and
>seeds.

I do think that one problem, and this may turn a lot of people off berry
pies altogether, is that far too often, *commercial* berry pies are
ghastly. Typically they have cardboardy Crisco crusts, and far too often,
the filling is atrocious, generally far, far too much sugar for any sane
individual, and many fillers, thickeners, etc. so that the filling ends up
with a slimy, sticky texture a bit like seaweed and a sickly, cloying
flavour. Of course you can see what the priorities are - save money no
matter what - and this means using as few expensive berries as one can get
by with.

The other problem you often encounter, more common with homemade pies, is
that people don't know how to manage the juice, leading to a filling that
more or less flows out of the pie with loose berries everywhere. That's
also somewhat unappealing.

> But a well made blackberry pie is my favorite -- made with tart
>juicy whole berries and only enough flour or tapioca to thicken the
>juice so it doesn't all run out when you cut the pie. If no juice runs
>out, you used too much flour or starch.

The real trick with a blackberry pie is to use the right berries,
specifically, the small, wild berries such as one finds in the Pacific NW,
called "Pacific Blackberries". They're not the big "Himalayan" berries also
ubiquitous to these parts - the Pacifics ripen earlier, on low-growing,
matted bushes rather than big, caning bushes. These really are small, no
bigger than a blueberry, with an intense, tart flavour, smaller seeds, and
a considerably lower water content. That means the berries hold their shape
in a pie and don't create an unmanageable juice mess. If you must add
sugar, they'll take it better because they don't start out ultra-sweet when
ripe. Unfortunately, most blackberry pies today are made with
marionberries, which are far too large, soft, sweet, and watery to make a
good pie. They basically dissolve into a slurry when baked.

--
Alex Rast

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