Editor’s note: It’s nearly impossible to miss the trees bursting with mulberries in what looks to be quite a bumper crop of the prolific fruits this spring season. In light of this, I wanted to reprint this column from You’vah Schafer, first printed here on June 7, 2023, in which she answers my request for a good mulberry pie recipe. You’vah wrote for the Quill’s food page from 1982 through 2023 — over 40 years, with just a few breaks. I must note, I tried the first of the two recipes she provided with a personal twist of my own: I added just a bit of grated fresh ginger to the filling, and sprinkled the top with a cinnamon-sugar blend. It was delightful. I don’t think it lasted the day. Guess I’ll have to make another soon! Thank you, You’vah. We at the Quill think of you often and pray for your health and happiness. (AH)
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There have been so many people that have become special in helping me make an interesting series of these columns that it would be impossible for me to list even a fraction of them, but every once in a while a special person jumps out of my mind, like Gladys Ball, to whom my May 10 column was dedicated.
I don’t think my special editor, Abby Hess, has ever been out of my mind since we “butted heads” years ago. She doesn’t miss a mistake I make. But isn’t that what a good editor does? She certainly does, so when she asked about a mulberry pie recipe, I went right to work trying to repay some of those favors that bailed me out (will explain one later in this column). But here’s to Abby — a choice. Let me know which turns out best, Abby.
The worst one she bailed me out of was when I was giving credit to a contributor and listed as “the late so-and-so,” finding out after it was published that the lady was living! Hard to cover that mistake.
If you also have a mulberry pie recipe, please send it on. Or, if you are seeking a special recipe, just ask. I have the source: My daughter, Marjie, who is an internet expert and never fails to find what I need.
From Hilda’s Kitchen Blog, hildaskitchenblog.com,
Courtesy of Marjie Dihel
1 Pillsbury double pie crust
3 1/2 cups mulberries
1 medium orange, zested
1 tablespoon orange juice
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Line the bottom of a 9-inch pie pan with one of the two pie crusts. Crimp edges. If using frozen fruit, pour mulberries into a large bowl until partially thawed.
Mix mulberries with orange zest and orange juice. If you need to, you can substitute lemon zest and juice.
In another bowl, mix sugar, flour and salt. Stir flour into the mulberry mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared bottom pie crust. Dot with better and add top pie crust. I prefer a lattice top.
Cover pie edges with aluminum foil or pie crust protectors. Bake for an hour or until the mixture is bubbly and begins to ooze out of the upper crust.
Cool on a wire rack before slicing. Enjoy with some vanilla ice cream.
Notes:
- If you decide to make a traditional double-crust pie, be sure to cut some slits into the top crust.
- I sprinkled my mulberry pie with some colorful coarse sanding sugar, but you can use white sugar or skip this step altogether..
- To learn how to do the lattice crust, watch the YouTube video: youtu.be/vwQYd2ljw-4.
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From Anna, via allrecipes.com,
Courtesy of Marjie Dihel
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Additional Tim: 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
1 14-ounce package double-crust pie pastry, thawed
3 cups mulberries
1 1/4 cups white sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk
Lay bottom pie crust in a 9-inch pie plate.
Mix berries with sugar and flour in a large bowl. Place mixture into bottom pie crust. Dot with butter, then cover with top pie crust. Crimp edges, cut slits in upper crust and brush with milk. Let pie rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Bake pie in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Lower the oven temperature to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Remove pie from oven and let sit on wire rack until cool.
