Berry Cherry Custard Pie

I’m sorry things have been a bit slow around here lately. I realize that with the warm summer weather and a toddler who loves to play outside, I’m pulled away from the kitchen. I used to prefer the comforts of the indoor air conditioner on a warm day, but not nothing brings me more joy than hearing Hugo squeal with delight as he runs through the sprinkler, getting joyfully soaked. Life changes, I’m always in transition over here, and this is our phase these days…

My obsession for pie-making is never ending though, so when my sister offered to take Hugo to the playground for me last week this was of course my dessert du jour. I also joined an all-fruit CSA this year which has been so fun. I’ve struggled with the idea of getting tons of greens & veggies that I’ll have to work hard to find a way to use, but fruit? Fruit will always get eaten around here- if not fresh, then easily thrown into a pie or crumble! So far I’ve gotten strawberries and cherries- straight from a farm- how awesome is that?

I decided to do something a bit different from my normal pie filling and make a custard pie. Basically you fill our unbaked pie shell with fresh fruit and pour a creamy custard on top. The custard is thick and sweet and after chilling to set, the most perfect cold slice of pie is waiting to be devoured. I love these pies in the summer. I mean warm pie with ice cream is always amazing, but this combo is always super refreshing as well. A mix of red & blue berries in combination with the light custard is also quite a festive 4th of July treat don’t you think?

Speaking of 4th of July- am I the only one that is still in denial of the fact that it’s this week already??

Yield: 1 9-inch pie

Ingredients

• 1 9-inch unbaked pie crust
• 4 cups of mixed berries/cherries. (I did 1 1/2 cups cherries, 1 1/2 cups sliced strawberries and 1 cup blueberries.)
• 3 large eggs
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• zest of 1 lemon

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Roll out the pie crust, and trim/crimp to fit a 9 inch pie dish.
2. Fill the un-baked crust with the fresh berries/cherries.
3. Whisk together the eggs, sugar, flour, cream and lemon zest. Pour the custard over the berries.
4. Bake until custard is set, about 50-60 minutes. Let cool completely and then chill thoroughly or overnight. Serve cold.