It’s berry season and what better way to eat them than in pie form! I like to make rustic pies — pies with a single overlapping crust. I think it looks more casual than a traditional double crust, and it also happens to be easier to assemble (i.e., no crimping of any edges).

With just one crust, this pie automatically cuts down on the number of calories that you’d consume with a double crust. I also made it a point to replace all of the white sugar in my recipe with maple syrup. The maple syrup adds liquid, which complicates my traditional rustic pie form, so my healthier version needs to be baked in a pie plate (rather than on a baking sheet, which is my usual pie-baking method).  It’s all good and works out perfectly fine.

I love this pie for many reasons.

One, I love pie.
Two, I love that you can easily use one crust — and one pre-made crust, which means you are cutting down on prep time.
Three, I love that the pie is sweetened with natural grade B maple syrup versus processed white sugar!
Last, but not least, I love that my kids had no idea that they were eating a “healthier” pie. They devoured it — no questions asked.

That being said, the pie is delicious — bursting with berry flavor and hints of lemon. You can serve it as is, or top it with fresh whipped cream or, better yet, ice cream, which is my personal fave.

Rustic Summer Berry Pie
Yields one 9-inch pie

2 cups of fresh raspberries
2 cups of fresh blueberries
2 cups of fresh blackberries
1/2 cup of grade B maple syrup
1/4 cup of unbleached flour
1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice
zest of one lemon
1 pre-made pie crust — rolled to approximately 12 inches in diameter
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

Roll out your crust.  I buy the pre-made crust that comes rolled up in the refrigerator or freezer case.  I let it defrost and then roll it out until it’s approximately 12 inches in diameter.  You want the crust to overlap your 9-inch pie plate.

In a large bowl add the berries, maple syrup, flour, lemon juice, lemon zest.  Mix gently to incorporate all of the ingredients. Be careful not to break the berries up too much when mixing.

Pour berry mixture into the pie crust. Instead of crimping the edges, you want to pull the crust hanging over the side of the plate onto the berries.  I kind of work my way around the pie plate, folding the dough over itself.  Check out the picture above.

Bake the pie for approximately one hour until the berry bubble and crust is a nice golden brown.