Please don't get me wrong with this post's title. I'm actually not a bossy person--more of a nudger. But not with this. This is way too good not to share. So good in fact that I insist you try it. And what is "it"? A super duper easy 50-minute pie wonder...so perfect for summer entertaining (I do realize that summer is half over but I wanted to give your swim-suit diet a fighting chance). It'll make you understand the saying "easy as pie", which, incidentally, is a phrase I previously questioned because in my pie-making experience, making a good pie was actually pretty challenging.
I found this recipe last November courtesy of the Washington Post Magazine's holiday pie contest. All the winning pies looked like, well, winners but this pie--the mixed-berry custard--went straight to the top of my pile of clipped recipes to try. Maybe because old man winter was around the corner and the lure of a berry pie was too much to take, I'm not sure. But after I made the pie, I made it again, and again, and again. And then 4 more times. So trust me when I say it's the kind of recipe you should just scribble on a post-it and stick inside a cupboard door, which is exactly where I keep my copy. Are there more fantastic pie recipes out there? Yes and I hope to get to those. But this one is so quick, with ingredients you can always keep on hand, and yet turns out a pie so satisfyingly Dee.Lish. that I sometimes wonder if I really need bother.
If you must go-Martha on it, knock yourself out by using a homemade crust. But really? Remember, it's summer. So just keep a couple of Marie Callendar deep dish frozen crusts in your freezer, along with a few bags of your favorite fruit, and breathe easy knowing you can always say "I'll bring dessert" without running to the store. Now go make it (nudge, nudge).
Mixed Berry Custard Pie
From the Washington Post Magazine, submitted by Abby Aronson (thanks Abby!)
8 servings
Ingredients
- 12 ounces fresh or frozen berries of your choice (if using frozen berries, defrost in a bowl overnight in the refrigerator, do not discard exuded juice)
- 4 large eggs
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons plus one teaspoon flour
- 1 9-inch homemade or store-bought unbaked pie crust (deep dish style)
Position oven rack to the middle of the oven; preheat oven to 375 degrees. If using frozen berries and your berries are still frozen, defrost in a microwave set on low. Be sure to retain any juices from the berries. Whisk together the eggs, milk and vanilla extract in a medium bowl. Add the sugar and flour; combine until smooth. Arrange the berries in an even layer in the unbaked pie shell (*I place my pie shell on a cookie sheet to catch drips and help transfer the assembled pie to the oven*). Pour in any reserved juices. Pour the egg-milk mixture over the berries. Bake for about 45 to 50 minutes or until the center of the pie has set. (*I always need the full 50 minutes*). Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before serving. To store, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for up to 4 days.