Ingredients
Pastry
- 400 gplain flour
- 250 gcold butter or lard, cubed
- 1 tspsalt
- 1 tbspsugar
- about 100 ml iced water
- 1 tspvinegar
Filling
- 800 gsaskatoon berries
- 150 gsugar
- 3 tbspcornflour or tapioca starch
- juice of 1 lemon
- ½ tspground cinnamon, optional
- 20 gbutter
To finish
- 1egg, beaten
- coarse sugar
To serve
- vanilla ice cream
- or cream
Directions
- Make the pastry first. Rub or pulse the cold fat into the flour, salt and sugar until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs with some larger flakes left. Leave some fat in visible flakes rather than rubbing it all in, because those flakes turn to steam and make the pastry flaky. Divide it in two, wrap it and chill it at least an hour.
- Pick over the berries and remove any stems. That brief pre-cooking softens the skins, which are tougher than a blueberry’s, and it is worth doing with a firm crop. Toss the berries with the sugar, starch, lemon juice and cinnamon. Add the sugar and starch at the last moment before filling, because sugar draws juice out of fruit within minutes.
- Roll out the first pastry disc and line a 23 cm pie dish, leaving an overhang. Tip the filling in and dot it with butter. Roll out the second disc for the lid, or cut it into strips for a lattice.
- Brush the rim with water, lay the lid on, and press the edges together. Trim and crimp the edge firmly, because a fruit pie under pressure leaks at the seam.
- Brush with beaten egg and scatter coarse sugar over. Now chill the assembled pie for 20 minutes before baking. Bake at 220°C (430°F) for 15 minutes, then reduce to 180°C (355°F) for a further 35 to 40 minutes.
- Put a tray underneath to catch any leaks. It is done when the crust is deep golden and the juices are bubbling thickly through the vents. Wait for the juices to bubble visibly and thickly rather than running thin, which is the sign the starch has activated. Now cool it for at least 3 hours before cutting.
- Cut warm, the whole thing runs out across the plate, and this is the one thing everyone gets wrong with fruit pies. Serve it at room temperature with ice cream.
Technique
- Frozen saskatoons work well and are used straight from frozen with a little extra starch.
- They are also made into jam, syrup and wine across the prairies.
- Blueberries are the usual substitute outside Canada, though they are noticeably sharper.
Substitutions
- Frozen saskatoon berries, with an extra spoonful of starch.
- Blueberries with a handful of almonds, which gets closer to the flavour.
Variations
- With a lattice top.
- With rhubarb, as saskatoon rhubarb pie.
- Made as a crumble rather than a pie.
History
Made from prairie serviceberries long harvested by Plains peoples for pemmican; the city of Saskatoon takes its name from the Cree misaskwatomina.
Frequently asked questions
What is Saskatoon berry pie?
Saskatoon berry pie is a dessert from Canada: prairie pie of sweet saskatoon berries in flaky crust. Made from prairie serviceberries long harvested by Plains peoples for pemmican; the city of Saskatoon takes its name from the Cree misaskwatomina.
How long does Saskatoon berry pie take to make?
Saskatoon berry pie takes 40 min plus 1 hr chilling of preparation and 50 min of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Saskatoon berry pie?
Yes, within limits. Frozen saskatoon berries, with an extra spoonful of starch. Blueberries with a handful of almonds, which gets closer to the flavour.
What is the most important thing to get right in Saskatoon berry pie?
Make the pastry first. Rub or pulse the cold fat into the flour, salt and sugar until it looks like coarse breadcrumbs with some larger flakes left. Leave some fat in visible flakes rather than rubbing it all in, because those flakes turn to steam and make the pastry flaky. Divide it in two, wrap it and chill it at least an hour.
