pie

Back in the summer, I became obsessed with picking wild raspberries from the various brambles that grow around our house and nearby. Wild raspberries are a bit of a prickly plant, so it was quite a production to pick a high volume of berries every day. Nonetheless, I persisted for my love of raspberries and for sharing the delicious creations that I made from them. I picked gallons of berries a day and made jars of jam and pints of sorbet. And, I froze a great deal.

Months later, it is now the dead of winter and the grey day doldrums are really kicking in. Though I love winter and its coziness, I do require the occasional reminder of brightness. Enter: my frozen raspberries from months past which I transformed into lemon raspberry curd.

This lemon raspberry curd pie is rewarding in so many ways. It is like a giant lemon bar meets raspberry pie and can be made into one giant pie, individual mini tarts, or cut into bars. The filling is quite rewarding to make and the natural color provides a beautiful taste of summer!

ingredients

for the crust

  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter, cut into ½ inch cubes (cut in half then in half again)
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons ice water
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

for the filling

  • 2 cups raspberries
  • 1 cup sugar
  • ¼ cup lemon juice
  • ¼ cup lemon zest
  • 4 eggs
  • ½ cup (1 stick) butter
  • Powdered sugar

crust steps

Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl and mix to combine. Combine the water and the apple cider vinegar and set aside. 

Sprinkle the cubes of butter into the flour mixture and give it a toss. Use your fingers or a dough blender to press and pinch the flour into the pieces of butter until combined. The dough will be shaggy and there will be different sized pieces of butter. Slowly drizzle in the water vinegar mixture and continue to press and pinch the dough until it forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1-2 hours.

filling steps

Add the raspberries to a medium or large pot and cook over medium-high, mashing continuously, until the berries begin to break down and release their juices, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Strain in a mesh sieve and return the strained juice to the pan.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine the sugar, lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the eggs and mix thoroughly. Pour the entire mixture into the pan with the raspberries. Cook on medium-low for about 5 minutes until all of the ingredients are combined. Add the butter and stir constantly until it melts. Continue cooking for another 10-12 minutes until the mixture thickens.

assembly steps

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Roll out the crust and press it into a 9-inch pie dish. Bake the crust for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and add the filling. Bake for another 35-40 minutes. Let cool and sprinkle with powdered sugar.