Plum Blackberry Pie

Ingredients⌗

• 1 pie crust, sugar included, recipe doubled (this pie has a top and bottom crust)
• 1 lb fresh plums, pitted (push a wooden spoon handle or something else round through from the stem to remove the pits) and roughly sliced
• 6 oz fresh blackberries
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 5 tbsp cornstarch (heaping quarter cup)

Instructions⌗

1. Make the crust. When ready to roll it out, divide it into 2 parts with a knife. Flatten each into a puck, wrap each individually in plastic wrap, and refrigerate as directed.
2. Make the filling. In a large bowl, stir together plums, blackberries, sugar, vanilla, and OJ. Let mingle at room temperature for at least 30 minutes, then pour off all excess liquid.
3. Sprinkle the cornstarch into the filling mixture and then mix gently to incorporate it evenly.
4. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 400 F. Grease a 9-inch pie plate with butter. On a large floured surface, roll out one of the dough pucks into a 15-inch circle. Gently lift the crust into the pie plate and settle it in, pressing gently down around the edges. Pour the fruit mixture into the crust and smooth down if necessary.
5. Make the lattice top. Roll out the remaining dough puck to an oval shape, roughly 10 inches on the short dimension and 14 on the long. With a sharp knife, cut across the short dimension of the oval to make 1/2 inch wide, parallel strips. Lay the longest strip across the center of the pie on top. Add the next longest parallel to it, with about 1/2 an inch of separation. Weave the next longest after that perpendicular across the pie, and then continue to weave strips outward from the center until the lattice is complete.
6. Trim any overhanging lattice strip ends off, and then trim off any significant overhang from the bottom crust. You can use the scraps to make pie crust treats¹ if you’d like.
7. Fold the outer edge of the bottom crust over the lattice strips around the edge of the pie, then chill the pie in the freezer for 15 minutes or until dough is firm.
8. Place the pie in the 400-degree oven on center rack. Bake for 20 minutes and then turn temperature down to 350. Continue to bake for roughly 1 hour and 15 minutes, until juices are thickened and bubbling throughout, and crust is golden brown. Start checking on the pie after roughly an hour. If the crust is baking faster than the filling, turn the oven down and/or cover any darkening spots with foil.
9. Remove the pie from heat and set it on a wire rack. Let it cool completely before cutting, around 2 hours at room temperature. Slice and serve with vanilla ice cream, or on its own.