Fresh Berry Cream Pie

Happy Fourth of July! This is a very important time for me. Are you ready? Pastry cream. Have you had it? I thought I had. I have only now just discovered it. I have tasted several pastries and tarts from bakeries, that have just left me wondering why it was any different from vanilla pudding. It’s better. How much better? So good that I (1) considered eating the whole bowl, (2) wanted to slather myself with it like lotion, and (3) paired it with a buttery crust and decorate it with fresh berries.

Don’t judge my excitement. When you discover, albeit later than almost everyone in this nation, something so wonderful, I could shout it from the rooftops – or at least from my kitchen. Glorious velvety cream that should never be given a supporting role. Rather, use it as a filling for a flaky butter pie crust that is light enough to complement the vanilla cream and slightly tart berries.

I love pies on Fourth of July, and this cream based pie is a nice stunning alternative to the usual, and a great way to take advantage of the summer berries. Served cold, it’s quite refreshing for the Texas and/or July heat, as well.

Fresh Berry Cream Pie
dough adapted from Joy the Baker; pastry cream adapted from King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:

Dough:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes
• 1 and 1/4 cup cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup buttermilk, cold

Pastry Cream:

• 2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Toppings:

• Fresh blueberries
• Fresh strawberries, cut in half
• Apricot or apple jelly, for glazing

Directions:

1. To make pie crust: Sift together the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the butter and cut into the flour mixture until its coarse crumbs. Add the buttermilk and mix Turn out onto a clean surface and knead until the dough comes together. Once the dough comes together, gather into a ball, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least and hour. At this point, preheat your oven to 350F. After chilling, roll out the dough to a 12-inch diameter circle. Drape onto your pie dish. Cover with plastic wrap and freeze for about 30 minutes. After, remove plastic wrap, place parchment paper/aluminum foil on top and add pie weights. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and let it cool with the pie weights. Remove pie weights and parchment/foil. Poke holes on the bottom with a fork. Bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely.
2. To make pastry cream: In a heavy saucepan, over medium heat, stir together milk and 1/3 cup sugar and bring to a boil. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and egg. Add the cornstarch and sugar and thoroughly combine. When the milk is boiling, take about a 1/2 cup of the boiling mixture and add it slowly to the egg mix, whisking constantly. You do not want the eggs to cook or the mixture to curdle, so whisk vigorously. Add the mixture into the boiling milk and continue to whisk until the mixture boils. Once the mix boils, turn off the stove and move off the heat. Now, stir in the butter and vanilla until fully incorporated. Pour into a heat-safe container, cover with plastic wrap touching the top of the cream as to avoid a skin forming, and chill in the refrigerator until cool. If you leave it in the fridge for too long, it will be gelatinous. If so, just beat it again with the mixer and it will come back to form.
3. To assemble the tart: Spread the pastry cream on the cooled pie crust evenly. Decorate with the berries as desired. Heat the jelly in the microwave and using a pastry brush, slightly brush the fruit with the jam for a shine.