Larchmont Grill’s Mixed Summer Berry Pie

PIE-A-DAY #29

This post comes to us from the folks at the Larchmont Grill. They get the strawberries for this pie from Lavender Hill Farm, a working farm in L.A.

The Larchmont Grill Mixed Summer Berry Pie is crafted to be the perfect summer treat – not too heavy and not too sweet, while still showcasing the fresh flavors of the summer’s berries. Our pie’s crust combines both rice and wheat flours for a crumbly texture, and is made with yogurt instead of butter to make it a bit of a healthier choice. The pie’s filling can easily be made with any available berries, but we chose this selection of them as it allows us to feature the wild strawberries we grow at Lavender Hill Farm, an urban farming project in downtown Los Angeles in which Larchmont Grill is a proud participant. Finally, we top the pie off with a mixture of marscapone cheese and honey, much like so many traditional apple pies are accompanied by a slice of a nice sharp cheddar.

Larchmont Grill’s Mixed Summer Berry Pie

Crumble-Flake Crust

1 ½ cups rice flour

1 cup flour

1 Tablespoon brown sugar

1 tsp salt

½ Tablespoon baking powder

4 tbsp iced cold water

1 Tablespoon blue agave

3 Tablespoon plain yogurt (healthier than butter)

3 egg whites (for coating the crust before baking)

Honey (for coating the crust before baking)

Combine the rice flour, wheat flour, and baking powder in a large mixing bowl. In another mixing bowl, stir together the iced water, agave, salt, brown sugar, and yogurt until the consistency resembles a custard. Slowly pour the liquid mixture into the dry ingredients, mixing the entire time. When the mixture crumbles nicely, remove the dough from the bowl and roll it into a thin sheet of crust. Cut two circles of crust.

Fresh Berry Filling

1 cup fresh garden strawberries

2 cups raspberries

1 ½ cup blueberries

½ cup brown sugar

2 tsp rice flour

Mascarpone cheese (to top the finished pie)

Honey (to top the finished pie)

Combine the berries, sugar, and rice flour in a non-reactive bowl. Macerate them together gently to release some, but not all juices, and refrigerate overnight.

Assembling & Baking the Pie

Line a greased and floured pie pan with one layer of the crust. Fill the pan with the fruit mixture and cover with the other layer of the crust. In the top crust, cut five slits radiating outward from the center of the pie. Brush the crust with egg white and drizzle with a touch of honey. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 min. Serve pie with a spoonful of mascarpone cheese mixed with honey.