Blackberry Pie with Honeyed Creme Fraiche

"More people will come if they think we have punch and pie!"
~ Eric Theodore Cartman

Twenty-one years ago, four crudely animated foul-mouthed boys began their seemingly endless journey through grade school in the quaint, cozy mountain town of South Park. Through alien abductions, soul-singing chefs, cannabis-drenched towels, and commentary covering all possible levels of political incorrectness, one thing has been perpetually certain: Eric Cartman loves pie. Loves all desserts, actually.

Growing up, my siblings and I would ask my Mom, "Can we have dessert?" Her reply would often be, "Yes, you can have a piece of fruit." As if channeling Cartman, we would all bellow in unison, "But Mom, fruit is not a dessert."

Honestly, in this form, it really is.

Whenever I bake a pie, especially a blackberry pie, I recall the mother of my best childhood friend (Mrs. C). A master pie maker. She taught me how to make a pie from scratch.

We picked wild blackberries from her daughter's back yard. The berries were so plump, we filled the huge plastic bucket within 15 minutes. Of all the priceless baking tips Mrs. C gave, I'm most thankful for her method of thickening a pie filling with tapioca flour (a.k.a. tapioca starch) instead of cornstarch or all-purpose flour. Tapioca flour makes the filling bright and clear, whereas cornstarch or A.P. flour can give the filling a cloudy look and chalky taste.

This recipe is adapted from Julia Frey's blog Vikalinka. Besides some general streamlining, my changes include adding a bit of cinnamon to the filling, upping the amount of blackberries, and subbing tapioca flour in place of A.P. flour. I love her idea of topping the pie with honeyed creme fraiche (a favorite that really complements the blackberries well).

One note, if you're lucky enough to have wild blackberries in your backyard, use them (and I'm envious). If not, store bought will do just fine. If you're short on time, you can also use your favorite store-bought pie crust. Just don't forget the honeyed creme fraiche. More people will come if they think you have honeyed creme fraiche.

Adapted from: Vikalinka
Number of servings; 8

Ingredients
Blackberry Filling

• 5-6 cups fresh blackberries
• ½-¾​ cup sugar (depending on how sweet your berries are; I use less since I prefer a less-sweet pie)
• 3-4 tablespoons tapioca flour or cornstarch (use 3 tablespoons if making the pie with wild-picked berries, 4 tablespoons if making with store-bought very ripe berries)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 egg for the eggwash

Pie Crust

• 3 cups flour
• ¾  tespoon salt
• ¾ cup unsalted butter
• ¾ cup sour cream

Honeyed Creme Fraiche

• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 cup creme fraiche

Directions
Blackberry Filling

1. Preheat the oven to 400 °F.
2. In a large bowl combine fresh blackberries with sugar, tapioca flour and lemon zest by lightly tossing them taking care not to mash blackberries. Let sit while preparing the pie crusts.

Pie Crust

1. In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
2. Add the butter using a pastry blender, cut it into the flour until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add sour cream and work it into the mixture with your hands until it comes together.
3. Knead briefly, wrap in plastic wrap, and chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.
4. On a lightly floured surface, roll out ⅔ of the pie crust to fit a 9-inch pie plate. It should be large enough so the sides hang over the edges of the plate. 
5. Drape the rolled out pastry on the rolling pin and carefully transfer it into the pie plate. Chill in fridge while rolling out the top crust.
6. Fill pie crust with blackberry filling.
7. Roll out the remaining pastry and cover the pie with it.
8. Pinch sides of the pie and brush the top with lightly beaten egg. Cut slits in the pie and sprinkle with additional sugar, if desired.
9. Place pie on baking sheet to catch any juices that might bubble out while it's cooking. Bake in  preheated oven for 30 minutes until golden. At this point, check it. If it's getting too dark, place a piece of aluminum foil over outer edge of pie and continue baking for 15-20 more minutes, until crust has browned and filling is bubbly. (It must be visibly bubbling or it won't set properly.)
10. Remove from oven and place on wire rack. Cool completely before serving.
11. Swirl honey into creme fraiche and serve with pie.