Elderberry Pie Recipe

There are few things in the world I love more than the smells of baking that fill a kitchen, from the initial wafts that rise out of a warm oven to the delicious scents that can signal the 'done-ness', better than a stick-a-fork-in test. The weighing out of ingredients, the sifting of flour, the kneading, docking, filling - all of these fill me with a sense of peace, and a sense of order - and for the duration that it takes, all's right with the world and all's good with me. An elderberry pie might just yield that one thing that sets off a perfect fall meal, with the fresh fruit of the season making the best use of these versatile berries. And what is a good recipe for this delectable pie? Take a look below.

Recipe

The recipe below makes one 9 inch, double crust elderberry pie. Elderberries release a lot of juice that can leave you with a sticky mess, which is why the best way to deal with this is to either sprinkle some flour on the crust and filling to absorb the juice, or thicken the berries before you use them as a filling. This recipe uses cornstarch for thickening, you can replace this with tapioca if required.

Ingredients

• Elderberries - 4 cups
• White sugar - 1 cup
• Cornstarch - 3 tbsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
• Butter - 2 tbsp
• Pie crust (see recipe below) - 1 portion

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 375ºF, (190ºC, Gas Mark 5).
2. Line a 9 inch pie dish with the pie crust, dock the pastry with a fork and place in the refrigerator to chill. Reserve remaining pastry for lattice or upper pie crust.
3. Place the de-stemmed elderberries and sugar in a heavy bottomed pan and stir over medium heat, till the sugar has dissolved. Lower the heat.
4. Mix the cornstarch with a little water, and then pour this mixture onto the elderberry-sugar mixture, stirring constantly while the mixture thickens. Take off the heat and add the lemon juice. Cool slightly.
5. Pour into the prepared crust pan, and dot with butter. Top with pie crust or lattice work.
6. Bake until golden brown or berries are bubbling, remove from the oven and cool.
7. Serve the elderberry pie warm from the oven with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.

How to Make the Crust

Ingredients

• All-purpose flour - 3 cups
• Salt - ½ tsp
• Sugar - 3 tbsp
• Butter, chilled - 1 cup, cut into cubes
• Egg - 1
• White vinegar - 1 tbsp
• Chilled water - 5 tbsp

Method

1. In a large mixing bowl, mix the flour, sugar and salt.
2. Add the butter, and mix in the dry ingredients with the tips of your fingers, until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.
3. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, along with the vinegar and 4 tablespoons of the water. Add this to the flour-butter mixture, in a steady stream, stirring with a fork, until the dough begins to come together. Add the remaining water or more if necessary.
4. Form into a ball, place in a oiled bag, and allow to rest in the refrigerator for at least 10 minutes, before rolling out.
5. This recipe yields two crusts.

Some things to remember about elderberries especially, if you're picking them fresh, is that the stems, twigs and leaves of the elderberry bush contain toxins that can make you quite sick, as can unripe berries, so make sure you only use the ripe, purple, black or dark blue berries. Putting them into a pie is just one way to use them, they can be made into tea and wine, as well as syrups and jams. While your pie is baking, sit yourself down with a cup of hot coffee and revel in the aromas of the season, as they fill your kitchen. When it's done, cut yourself a slice warm from the oven and let your senses take over - this elderberry pie recipe is sure to become a family favorite!