Our favorite recipe for summer!

French Lavender 4-Berry Pie

Nothing beats this summertime pie filled with locally grown, orchard fresh fruits. Using my mother’s best recipe for flaky crust, this decadent dessert oozes with flavor. Absolutely marvelous served piping hot with a scoop of your favorite vanilla ice cream. Enjoy!


Crust:
2 Sticks Unsalted Butter, very cold
1 t. salt
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 1/2 Cup Flour
1/2 - 1 Cup Ice Water



Filling:
1 Cup Sugar
4 tsp quick-cooking tapioca
4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp Organic Culinary Lavender Buds
1/2 Cup Fresh Blackberries
1/2 Cup Fresh Raspberries
1/2 Cup Fresh Blueberries
1/2 Cup Strawberries, sliced
1 Cup Apples, peeled and sliced
1 Cup Fresh Rhubarb, sliced thin
2 Tbsp Butter, cut up into small pieces


Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

Cut the sticks of butter into 1/2-inch cubes and place them in the freezer for 15 minutes.

In a food processor, combine the flour, salt and sugar. Pulse to mix well. Add the butter cubes and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the water, 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again.

Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. Using care to not “over-knead” the dough, separate it into 2 round balls. Wrap the balls separately in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Remove the crust disk from the refrigerator. Let it sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. On a well floured surface, roll out the pastry dough with a rolling pin to a 12 inch circle (about 1/8 of an inch thick.) As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the pastry is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the pastry dough from sticking. Repeat with the other ball of dough. Reserve one sheet of the pastry dough for use later. Gently fold one of the pastries in half. Place the dough inside a 10-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan. Gently unfold and press the dough inside the pie plate. With a fork, prick the crust all over the inside of the pie plate. This will help to prevent air bubbles. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and lavender. Add all of the fruit and toss gently until everything is well coated. Let stand 15 minutes.

Spoon the filling into the prepared pie plate and dot with the pieces of butter. Trim the pastry even with the edge of the pie plate. Moisten the edge of the pastry with water.

Place the remaining pastry sheet over the filling. Trim the top crust to ½ inch beyond the pie plate. Fold the top crust between your finger and thumb to crimp the edge. Cut slits in the reserved pastry sheet to allow the steam to escape. Cover the edge of crust with foil to prevent it from over-browning.

Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven, remove the foil, and sprinkle with 1 Tbsp of sugar. Return to pie to the oven and bake for an additional 20 to 25 minutes more until the crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbly. Cool on a wire rack. Serves 8-10.

This recipe is from The Lavender Gourmet by Jennifer Vasich