Wild Gooseberry Pie
Have you ever tasted a gooseberry? If not, you are definitely missing out. I'm not saying you will eat them by the handful, but I enjoy experiencing new things. Gooseberries by nature are pretty tart, but they are wonderful in pie. I say this with my experience of having eaten Gooseberry Pie once...and it's this one that I made! :)
In all seriousness, we were in Montana this last summer and there were gooseberries everywhere. All of a sudden I felt the urge to bake something with them. My mind immediately went to pie. I mean, who doesn't love pie?! And to make one with something that isn't very common...perfect!
I hiked up to the top of a canyon in the Beartooth Mountains where our land is so I could Google how much I would need. It was crazy, but the entire internet consisted of only a couple of recipes. I guessed about how much I would need and climbed down into the canyon with my bucket to get busy. Luckily, my hubby and son obliged in helping me (they like pie too). :)
We picked, picked, and picked some more. Everyone once in awhile one of us would yelp or cry out a bit when one of the thorns got us. I know...I should have worn gloves, but in truth I don't think you could pick these berries without ruining them with gloves on. Boy, these thorns are buggers! Check them out...
I mean, OUCH!!
Once we had enough picked (the recipe said a pint, but I wanted double that just in case) we ventured home. This is when the work really began.
Each berry needed to be cleaned and the stems needed to be removed from both ends. What a job!
By then time I was done with this job (a couple of hours later) my fingers were sore and stained a pinkish purple. They stayed this way for a couple of days. After I was finished, I rinsed them really well again and then put them on the stove to cook. If you want to know how much water exactly see the full recipe below.
Simmer the gooseberries and water.
Simmer a bit longer after you add the butter, sugar, and flour. Then add the beaten egg yolks.
Slowly add the beaten egg yolks to the berry mixture. Cook until thick over medium-low heat until thick.
I made fresh pie crust, but boughten is completely fine as well. The gal who made this originally used frozen pie crusts so your options are open.
Oh, and remember that I picked a lot more than recommended. I discovered that I had enough for two pies. Bonus!!
After the pie(s) are filled put your top crust on. Seal the edges and piece a couple of holes in the top crust. I used the left over egg whites to brush on the top and sprinkled a little sugar on top also to give it extra color and appeal. Pop then in the oven and bake as instructed. They turned out beautifully!
Nobody in our family had ever eaten Gooseberry Pie before and if they had they couldn't remember. It was a real treat and a thrill for me to bake something from scratch that truly delighted everyone. Let me just say that this pie didn't make it to the next day. It was beyond amazing! I will definitely go through the trouble of making another one.
Don't look at my thumbnail! Haha, that's not dirt...it's stained by the gooseberries! Well, I hope I've convinced you to journey out and look for gooseberries when time allows. Get adventurous. You'll be glad you did! Here is the recipe as shared by https://blackberrybabe.com. As I stated, I did use wild gooseberries and not purchased. That saves you a lot of $ too if they are in season. Nothing like putting a lot of heart, soul, and effort into what we do in all aspects of our lives, right?! I ended up tripling this recipe. I like to use a deep dish pie plate so it made sense for me to do this. This means that I also increased everything else. I wanted to show the recipe as it was written so here goes. Enjoy!!
INGREDIENTS
1 pint gooseberries
½ cup water
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 egg yolks
PIE CRUST TOPPING
2 egg whites
¼ cup sugar
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small saucepan, add gooseberries and water. Simmer for 2-3 minutes. Drain off some of the excess water, then return to the burner.
Add the sugar, butter and flour, continue to simmer.
Beat egg yolks and pour slowly into saucepan. Cook on medium-low heat until thick.
Pour filling into still frozen pre-made pie crust.
Top with a second pie crust, cutting slits to vent (or cut for lattice top).
Brush the pie crust with egg whites. Sprinkle sugar on top.
Cover the crusts of the pie with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes. Remove aluminum foil and bake for another 15-25 minutes, until the crust is browned.