Quick Berry Pie

Its really hard to live a "sustainable" lifestyle and eat completely seasonally. One of the things that's hard to go without are berries. During the summer time I try to eat my fill of fresh berries, but the during the wintertime I indulge myself in frozen berries. To clear my conscious I will try to only buys berries grown in the States, and from farms close by.

One of my favorite things to make with frozen berries (usually not fresh) is make a mixed berry pie. With premade pie shells in the fridge, I can whip up a batch before I leave the house. This one's for my friend Sarah. She's a Texas girl and makes the best pies I've ever had, and I've decided to make a pie for her (in her pie pan.) Here's a quick easy recipe. I decided to vary up the recipe for the winter by making a crumble top crust.

Recipe:

Filling:
4 1/2 cup mixed frozen berries
1/2 cup white sugar
3 tbs corn starch
1 tbs lemon juice

Crumble topping:
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup flour

1. Preheat the oven to 375 F
2. Mix all the ingredients for the filling. Tossing the berries and letting the powders coat them evenly. Allow the mixture to thaw out ~15 to 30 minutes before filling. (When I'm in a rush I'll throw it in the microwave to defrost for a few minutes.) Set aside while prepping the topping.
3. Melt the butter. Mix in the sugar and cinnamon. Toss in the oats and mix in the flour without over churning the mixture. Set aside while the filling is defrosting.
4. Prepare a pie dish by rubbing butter into it, lay out your pie pastry (maybe one day I'll make my own, but I don't like to have to deal with flour.)
5. Fill the pastry with your filling. Evenly. As the berries cook the juices will fill in. I try to leave my berries as whole as possible. Dot the top with the crumble filling. Cover lightly with foil.
6. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes, remove foil and bake for additional 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Allow the pie to cool completely before cutting.