Raspberry Pie

Nothing says spring like fresh raspberry pie. It's the kind of dessert that begs to be eaten outside, on a picnic or a patio, with new leaves on the trees and flowers just starting to wake up from their winter rest. However... that is not the kind of spring I am currently experiencing.

We are having an unusually cold and rainy spring here in Colorado. It's rained or snowed nearly every day for weeks. Every. Day.

The moisture is great. Everything is green and lush and crisp. But, it also kind of sucks because after a long winter, all my husband and I want to do is spend our days out riding our motorcycle. Instead, we moan at the forecast, taking the weather as a personal assault.

I mean, come on Colorado. We weathered your cold, snowy winter. We didn't complain. (Ok, we did.) We didn't whine. (Ok, we did that too.) Spring is supposed to be our reward. It's that blissful time of year, in-between the snow and cold of winter and the heat of July, when being out on a bike is heaven on earth.

Instead of sunny, 70 degree days, we've had rain and snow and cold. So, what's a girl to do? Make raspberry pie anyway, that's what. Take that mother nature.

Even though the weather wasn't exactly patio or picnic worthy, we ate our raspberry pie with the curtains open and fresh cut flowers on the table. And it was still delicious. A poor substitute for an afternoon out on the bike, but sometimes you just have to work with what you're given.

So, here's my opinion about raspberry pie.

It should be tart and not overly sweet. It should also be bursting with juicy raspberries, but the juice should be contained. I want the flavor of fresh, juicy raspberries. I do not want all that juice to make my crust soggy. I want my crust to be flaky and buttery, not soggy. No one likes soggy pie crust.

To achieve those very important objectives, this pie calls for a limited amount of sugar, the addition of lemon zest and lemon juice, and both cornstarch and tapioca to thicken the raspberry juice into something that can be eaten with a fork rather than a spoon. You'll notice that the recipe calls for ¾ cup of sugar, but much of the time, I reduce that to ½, or even ¼ of a cup if the raspberries are already pretty sweet. So, taste your raspberries before you mix in the sugar. If they are very tart, use the full amount. If they are sweet, reduce the sugar accordingly. And if you like a very tart raspberry pie, use two lemons instead of one. It's your raspberry pie. Do what you like.

I also like to add a bit of honey to my raspberry pie. Sugar sweetens the flavors that are already there, but honey adds an additional layer of flavor without overwhelming the tartness of the raspberries.

Finally, this recipe calls for my go-to pie crust recipe: Fool Proof Pie Crust. This easy pie crust has been my standard pie crust for 20 years. It's flaky, flavorful and truly fool proof. Seriously. You can't mess this pie crust up. Well... I suppose you can... The first time my son made this pie crust he forgot to add the shortening. That'll do it. But, if you follow the recipe and don't leaven out any main ingredients, this pie crust is easy to make, sublime to work with, and bakes up perfectly every time.

So, come on rain! Give me your best shot. I will still make raspberry pie.

Actually, just kidding. Give me at least one day this week of motorcycle weather. Please, and thank you.

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