It's that time of the year again: summer berries, cherries and even peaches are starting to make their way into farmers markets and grocery stores. And with that comes summer pies!
Recently I've had a few Marge customers write to me asking how we achieve fruit fillings that aren't runny or overly gummy or starchy. The secret is in lots of experimentation and trial and error, but I'd love to share a little of what we've learned with you so you can work some pie magic at home. So much is personal preference too, so I'd also love to hear your own home tricks: how do you like to thicken your summer fruit pies?
1. Cornstarch vs. quick-cooking tapioca: There are many, many thickeners out there, but flour, cornstarch, and quick-cooking tapioca are probably the most popular and each for good reason. Cornstarch has a nice smooth texture and no real flavor, but it can lead to an occasional murky color with berry pies and its thickening power is compromised with high acidity fruit like cherries. Quick-cooking tapioca will never result in a cloudy filling and soaks up really juicy fruit better than anything we've tried. However, it is a little tempermental in the sense that it really needs high heat to activate completely. Make sure to give your pies a good ten minute does of heat at 400 F if you're using this thickener. Flour is an easy thickener in that you generally always have it on hand and it works beautifully. It can lead to a gummy, cloudy filling with delicate summer berries though. We reserve using flour as a thickener for heartier fruits like apples and pears.
2. Pay attention to bake times: one reason you'll often end up with a runny fruit pie is simply that it hasn't been baked long enough. Any thickener you use needs a little time to set up, and people often see their crust turning light brown and think the pie is done when it's really not.
3. Let your fruit sit in sugar for a half an hour and drain the natural juices that will gather. This is especially good to do with peaches or strawberries.
4. Try sprinkling graham cracker crumbs inside your bottom crust; they soak up some of the juices released from fruit during baking.
5. If you want, experiment with twice-baking your crust like Melissa Clark does with her cherry pie. It's not necessary for most fruit pies, but it will result in a firmer crisper pie which many people really like.
The most important thing to remember is to take notes and adapt: Since everyone likes their pie a certain way, when you try a recipe and find it's too set-up or overly runny, take notes and make small changes to apply the next time around. Before you know it, you'll be baking a pie that not only holds up to even the juiciest of summer fruits but also suits your personal tastes perfectly.
Related: How to Make Easy Fruit Filling for Pie
(Image: Megan Gordon)
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Great tips-thank you!
When you say "drain the juices that gather", are you still putting them in the pie? I would think that they would be the most flavorful part!
I'm a big fan of using tapioca starch. You can find it in Asian grocery stores because it's used a lot in sauces. It gives you that clear glassy look of tapioca without the little white bits that remain if you use the quick cook tapioca from a box. Use liberally for a shiny, delicious, well set fruit pie.
I want to know the recipe for the pie in the photo...that crust looks incredible!
I'm going to try that graham cracker trick. I, too, don't want to pour away my strawberry juice! (I'd add it to seltzer, not pour it down the drain, but still, I want it in my pie.)
I often macerate the fruit for an hour or more, drain away the juice, concentrate the syrup by boiling for a few minutes on the stovetop, then add it back to the fruit filling. A bit more involved, of course, but this way you can use little to no thickener and you really get all the fruit flavor, without overcooking or caramelizing the fruit.
I use Rose Levy Beranbaum's tip: if you are blind-baking the crust, brush half an eggwhite onto the crust 3 minutes after it comes out of the oven. The moisture-proofing it creates is awesome. The tip she gives for double-crusted pies or non-blind-baked crusts is baking them directly on the bottom of the oven or baking the whole pie from frozen.
Tip #2 is so important. I make sure I see the juices boil up through the vent holes. To keep the crust from getting too done, I protect the edge with aluminum foil.
i've been making double crust apple and berry pies very successfully for a long time, the bottom crust is never, ever soggy. however, i'm not sure i have one single trick that gives this result. i do not drain the fruit, use flour as thickener, and do not add any additional liquid to the filling.
after i roll out the bottom crust (all butter) and arrange it in the pan i will usually pop it in the freezer for a minute or 2, then fill with the fruit. make sure your top crust has very pronounced holes or slits, non of this fork pricking business.
i bake at 425 for 10 min, then lower to 375 for the remaining 80 or so. do not cut for at least 2 hours.
i don't bake the filling in my strawberry pies and don't do peach pie, so can't speak to those. i think the author was right on with #2, maybe people just don't bake them long enough?
I definitely agree with tip 2 and 3. For baking times you need to wait until thick viscous bubbles are coming through the slits in the crust or around the edges. (I like to think of the pie being "alive" and "breathing" when I take it out of the oven)
When I let the fruit sit in sugar I definitely still use the liquid! Pie is more than just fruit and crust... it is also all the gooey sweetness in between the fruit. I think its an important step because there is more time where the juice is in contact with the thickener instead of coming out halfway through baking and not reacting with the thickener (I have no scientific support for this). The only time I don't use all the liquid if I'm using frozen fruit.
The tip that I find absolutely crucial: let the pie sit to cool before you cut into it. If you cut into a hot pie, the juices will puddle out and flood the pan, soaking into the pastry. Let it rest and they'll firm up so the pie will be juicy and tender, not soppy and soggy.
If you want to eat warm pie, let it cool, then reheat gently in a warm oven (or in the microwave, tough that sacrifices some of the crust's flakiness). It will reheat beautifully.
A while back Cooks Illustrated did an article on blueberry pie and they ended up pre-cooking half of the filling, using tapioca, and -- the tip that I now use with almost all berry pies I make -- adding a grated granny smith apple. The pectin from the apple thickens up the filling just a little bit and the flavor just comes through as additional fruity/tart flavor. It's fantastic with summer berry fillings.
Pie tins with small perforations in the bottom help avoid soggy underbaked bottom crusts.
Oooh arbequina, I love the grated apple tip... that will work when the blueberries are out in August and the very first apples are appearing at the farmer's market.
Yes, the grated apple trick is genius. And thank you all so much for your other comments/suggestions. Oh, I so didn't mean to hint that I threw away the juices from the berries. I often boil it down, too, and use it for syrup, cocktails etc. I actually don't add it back into the pie though. I find if you're using high-quality, seasonal fruit, it should be bursting with flavor as is. Good luck; happy baking!
The recipe for the pie in the photo can be found on my personal blog: http://asweetspoonful.com/2011/05/visions-of-greatness-or-something-like-it.html