One of the reasons I bake and cook is to share the fun creations with people so I was so happy to find this part of the blog today!  This is only the second time I have made a berry pie and it’s the first time I tried making the decorative leaves to line the edge.  I saw them on the Designer Cherry Pie photo in The Pie & Pastry Bible so I wanted to give them a try for this pie I was taking to a friends pie party and contest.  That’s right, there was a blue ribbon up for grabs!  I didn’t not have a cutter so I tried by hand and was very happy with the results.  As with any time you cook and try something new you learn and I can’t wait to try it again knowing I can make it look even better.  Thanks Rose for helping me push myself in the kitchen and to have a lot of fun in the process.

I love the cream cheese pie crust recipe but never really made it exactly as I haven’t found regular pastry flour locally and typically don’t have bleached flour.  I also noticed the whole wheat cream cheese pie crust.  The only pastry flour I found was whole wheat pastry flour so I started trying something and love how it worked out.  I use the whole wheat cream cheese recipe but I use unbleached AP flour and whole wheat pastry flour and I love the results.

For the filling I looked at the recipes for blueberry and blackberry pies and went from there with my own mixture.  The first time it was a little tart and very runny (I served way too soon because of poor timing on my part).  I learned about how much moisture the various fruits will release during cooking and how much cornstarch to add to correct.  I also put the tossed fruit, sugar, spices and cornstarch on the stove for a few minutes to thicken some before baking which I hadn’t done the previous time.  It worked!

Looked great, tasted even better and it all held together

P.S. - I took home the blue ribbon!

Wow, it’s gorgeous!  Congratulations on the blue ribbon!  Blueberry and blackberry sounds like a great combo.

Your hand-cut leaves look great- I make them that way as well, have never bothered with a cutter as someone on the forum once reported that they didn’t work well for them.

Re: pastry flour, you can use Wondra flour- nice flavor and very tender.  I also find that Rose’s update of the cream cheese recipe- using heavy cream and vinegar instead of water and vinegar- works with bleached AP.  There’s also the sweet cream variation of the basic flaky butter crust, which works very, very well with bleached AP flour.

Yes…. that is one beautiful pie.  I can see how you won.  Thank you for the details on how you made it!!

Agreed - gorgeous pie.  Such a beautiful golden crust and such tempting, plump blueberries!!!

Tony, that is a fantastic looking pie and it sounds absolutely delicious…...very blue ribbon worthy.

Thanks so much for the kind words and the info.

Stunning pie! No wonder you won!

Oh My! That is a beautiful pie. It is so tall and I love the crust leaves.

Your photography skills are a good as your baking!

I agree with everyone else- that is one beautiful pie! I love your crust and how lovely golden brown it is. Congratulations on your win. Obviously very well deserved!