Montana Huckleberry Pie

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch pie plate (glass or ceramic preferred)
• •Rolling pin
• •Pastry blender or two forks
• •Spice grinder or blender for the tapioca
• •Rimmed baking sheet
• •Pastry brush

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the pastry

   Whisk together the flour, one tablespoon sugar, and one teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and work them into the flour using a pastry blender or your fingertips, pressing and smearing the pieces until you have a shaggy mixture with butter pieces ranging from pea-sized to flattened shards. This variety creates the flaky layers. The whole process takes three to four minutes by hand.

2. 2

   Bring the dough together

   Drizzle six tablespoons of ice water over the flour mixture. Toss with a fork until the dough begins to clump. Squeeze a handful: if it holds together, you have enough water. If it crumbles, add another tablespoon and toss again. Turn the dough onto your work surface and gather it into a rough mass. Divide in two, with one portion slightly larger for the bottom crust. Flatten each into a disk about an inch thick, wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour.

   The dough can refrigerate for up to three days or freeze for two months. Thaw frozen dough overnight in the refrigerator before rolling.
3. 3

   Prepare the filling

   Place the huckleberries in a large bowl. If using frozen berries, do not thaw them first. Grind the tapioca in a spice grinder or blender until powdery, then whisk together with the three-quarters cup sugar and quarter teaspoon salt. Sprinkle this mixture over the berries, add the lemon juice, and fold gently to combine. The berries will begin releasing juice immediately. Let the mixture stand while you roll the crust, at least fifteen minutes.

   Grinding the tapioca prevents any unpleasant chewy bits in your finished pie. A few pulses in a spice grinder does the trick.
4. 4

   Roll the bottom crust

   On a lightly floured surface, roll the larger disk of dough into a circle about twelve inches across and an eighth-inch thick. Work from the center outward, rotating the dough a quarter turn after every few strokes to maintain an even circle. Transfer to a nine-inch pie plate, easing the dough into the corners without stretching. Trim the overhang to one inch beyond the rim. Refrigerate while you roll the top.

5. 5

   Create the lattice top

   Roll the smaller disk into an eleven-inch circle. Using a sharp knife or pastry wheel, cut into strips about three-quarters inch wide. You should have ten to twelve strips. Keep them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and refrigerate for ten minutes to firm up. Cold strips weave more easily.

   A lattice top isn't just decorative. It allows steam to escape, preventing a soggy bottom crust, and lets you glimpse the purple treasure bubbling beneath.
6. 6

   Fill and weave

   Pour the huckleberry filling into the chilled bottom crust, mounding it slightly in the center. Dot with the two tablespoons of cold butter pieces. Lay half the pastry strips across the pie in one direction, spacing them about three-quarters inch apart. Fold back every other strip halfway, lay a perpendicular strip across the unfolded ones, then unfold the folded strips over it. Continue folding and weaving until the lattice is complete. Trim the strip ends and crimp the edge decoratively, pressing the lattice ends into the bottom crust overhang.

7. 7

   Apply the egg wash

   Beat the egg with the cream until smooth. Brush this wash generously over the lattice and crimped edge, taking care to coat every exposed surface of pastry. Sprinkle coarse sugar over the entire top. This creates the golden, glittering crust that announces a proper pie.

8. 8

   Bake until bubbling

   Position a rack in the lower third of your oven and preheat to 425°F. Place the pie on a parchment-lined baking sheet to catch drips. Bake for twenty minutes, then reduce temperature to 375°F and continue baking thirty-five to forty minutes more. The pie is done when the crust is deeply golden and the filling bubbles actively through the lattice openings. You want to see thick, lazy bubbles, not just steam.

   If the edges brown too quickly, shield them with strips of foil or a pie shield after thirty minutes.
9. 9

   Cool completely

   Transfer the pie to a wire rack and resist the urge to slice for at least three hours, preferably four. The filling needs this time to set properly. Cut too soon and you'll have purple soup. The reward for patience is slices that hold their shape, the filling glistening and firm, the berries suspended in their own thickened juices.

Chef Tips

• •Wild huckleberries are worth seeking out. Check specialty grocers, online purveyors, or befriend someone who forages. Frozen wild huckleberries work beautifully and are available year-round from Montana suppliers.
• •If you absolutely cannot find huckleberries, wild blueberries are the closest substitute, though they lack the tartness that makes huckleberries special. Add an extra tablespoon of lemon juice to compensate.
• •The pie tastes best at room temperature. Refrigeration mutes the flavor and toughens the crust. Eat within two days, storing loosely covered at room temperature.
• •A small scoop of vanilla ice cream is traditional in Montana diners. The cold cream against the room-temperature pie creates a contrast worth experiencing.

Advance Preparation

• •Pastry dough can be made three days ahead and refrigerated, or frozen for up to two months.
• •The assembled unbaked pie can be frozen for up to one month. Bake directly from frozen, adding fifteen to twenty minutes to the baking time.
• •Baked pie keeps at room temperature, loosely covered, for two days. After that, refrigerate and bring to room temperature before serving.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 285g)