Rainy Day Raspberry Crumble Pie
Tropical deluge in Houston or chilly drizzle in Seattle - I'll take it. I like rain. It helps with the whole last-minute-push-to-get-work-done-before-semester-starts thing. And while this Raspberry Crumble is a summery pie, it's got a homey topping and jam layer that pair well with rainy days. Wouldn't that be a great cookbook - recipes to match the weather? This is a sturdy little recipe. Maybe not dinner party elegant, but tasty with ice cream or with tea, for breakfast. Yes, pie for breakfast! 
The crumb top forms a firm cinnamon-y layer over the berries, and after cooling, it slices up almost like a fruit bar. Only prettier.
I'd never made a just-raspberry pie because raspberries are so juicy and seedy and, well, wimpy, as far as berries go. But this is a definite keeper. I found it in Ken Haedrich's "Pie" and followed all the rules until I got to the topping. Freeze the unbaked crust awhile, check, spread with raspberry jam before filling and baking, check. Bake twenty minutes before topping, check. Then the topping sank wholesale into the soupy berries - a tragedy for pastry lovers like me. If you haven't already noticed, I love me some carbs. I was fifteen when I first heard anyone even malign them. Ana, our rail-thin exchange student, frowned at my piece of toast and said, "I wish I could eat that, but bread is fattening." I gaped at her. "No it's not," I said. "It's bread." She gaped right back. "Everybody knows that. On a diet, no bread." I stood there thinking, Mexicans are weird. And repeated, stubbornly, "It's bread."
Anyway, I doubled up on the crumble, and the result was a heavy crust over a thinnish berry layer - leading to the fruit bar resemblance. So you probably don't need to double the topping. That's the kind of baker I am: I worry easily and overcompensate. I'm not one for the half-hearted approach. I'm not sure if that's good or bad...but this pie worked out. If you happen to have an excess of raspberries on your hands, try it!
Raspberry Crumble Pie
4-5 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 - 3/4 sugar (depends on your sweet tooth)
2 tsp lemon juice
pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2-3 tablespoons raspberry jam
one flaky pie crust, for the bottom only.
Crumb Topping
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
Place unbaked prepared pie crust in the freezer for 15 minutes; preheat oven to 400°. Combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice; toss gently; set aside for 10 minutes.
Combine the cornstarch and cinnamon; stir into the fruit mixture.
Spread the jam inside the chilled crust.
Scrape the filling into the crust, smoothing the fruit with a spoon.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the topping: combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use. Take pie from oven and lower temp to 375°. Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie and spread them evenly over the top with your hands. Return pie to oven. Bake for about 25 minutes or until juices bubble busily around the edges.
The crumb top forms a firm cinnamon-y layer over the berries, and after cooling, it slices up almost like a fruit bar. Only prettier.I'd never made a just-raspberry pie because raspberries are so juicy and seedy and, well, wimpy, as far as berries go. But this is a definite keeper. I found it in Ken Haedrich's "Pie" and followed all the rules until I got to the topping. Freeze the unbaked crust awhile, check, spread with raspberry jam before filling and baking, check. Bake twenty minutes before topping, check. Then the topping sank wholesale into the soupy berries - a tragedy for pastry lovers like me. If you haven't already noticed, I love me some carbs. I was fifteen when I first heard anyone even malign them. Ana, our rail-thin exchange student, frowned at my piece of toast and said, "I wish I could eat that, but bread is fattening." I gaped at her. "No it's not," I said. "It's bread." She gaped right back. "Everybody knows that. On a diet, no bread." I stood there thinking, Mexicans are weird. And repeated, stubbornly, "It's bread."
Anyway, I doubled up on the crumble, and the result was a heavy crust over a thinnish berry layer - leading to the fruit bar resemblance. So you probably don't need to double the topping. That's the kind of baker I am: I worry easily and overcompensate. I'm not one for the half-hearted approach. I'm not sure if that's good or bad...but this pie worked out. If you happen to have an excess of raspberries on your hands, try it!
Raspberry Crumble Pie
4-5 cups raspberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 - 3/4 sugar (depends on your sweet tooth)
2 tsp lemon juice
pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2-3 tablespoons raspberry jam
one flaky pie crust, for the bottom only.
Crumb Topping
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup cold butter
Place unbaked prepared pie crust in the freezer for 15 minutes; preheat oven to 400°. Combine the raspberries, sugar, and lemon juice; toss gently; set aside for 10 minutes.
Combine the cornstarch and cinnamon; stir into the fruit mixture.
Spread the jam inside the chilled crust.
Scrape the filling into the crust, smoothing the fruit with a spoon.
Place the pie on the center oven rack and bake for 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the topping: combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt; cut in butter until the mixture resembles fine crumbs. Refrigerate until ready to use. Take pie from oven and lower temp to 375°. Carefully dump the crumbs in the center of the pie and spread them evenly over the top with your hands. Return pie to oven. Bake for about 25 minutes or until juices bubble busily around the edges.
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