Saskatoon Berry Pie - My Cherished Canadian Recipe

The Canadian Food Experience Project
is the brainchild of Valerie at A Canadian Foodie. This is the 4th
edition of a yearlong project. This
month we have 80 participants. I am blown away by the participation.



My previous posts in this series can be found at these links:

My Earliest Memory of Canadian Food

Regional Canadian Food - SW Saskatchewan 

Local Food Heroes 



This is a re-post of pie I made last Christmas for our family gathering. I had to think long and hard what I would consider my most cherished recipe. As with all cultures around the world, except the most isolated, cuisine evolves. Most recipes have been tweeked and adjusted to fit our lifestyle today.

Then I remembered saskatoon berry pie. This is a recipe that will never change. It will always be the same because it is just perfect the way it is.

I have tried many recipes and this one is the best I have tried. 

I made the pies, frozen them, defrosted in the refrigerator for about 6 hours, then baked as fresh below. 

Serve with homemade vanilla bean ice cream.

Saskatoon Berry Pie 

• 4 cups saskatoon berries


• 3/4 cup sugar, granulated


• 3 tablespoons flour


• 1/4 cup water


• Pastry for double crust pie


• 2 tablespoons lemon juice

1. In a saucepan, simmer saskatoon berries in water for 10 minutes. Add lemon juice. Stir in granulated sugar mixed with flour. 


2. Pour into pastry lined pie plate. Dot with butter. Cover with top crust; seal and flute edges. 


3. Bake in 425F oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350F oven and bake 35-45 minutes longer or until golden brown.

 

Vanilla Bean Ice Cream

4 egg yolks

2 cups half and half cream

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped

Whisk yolks and sugar until lemon coloured.  In a sauce pan scald the cream with the vanilla seeds and bean.  Temper the egg yolks
with this hot milk.  Do this by
adding a little at a time while whisking the egg yolks.  Eventually you will have added all the
milk.  Cook this mixture in a
double boiler until thickened. 
Cool, strain, churn according to your machine's directions.